The Belmont Abbey Men's Volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory this evening over Limestone in the Wheeler Center.  The win improves the Crusaders' record to 12-8 with a 7-5 conference record.  Limestone dipped to 8-11 on the year, with a 4-9 record against Conference Carolinas opponents.

The early part of set 1 was back and forth, as neither team built a lead bigger than two until the Saints got a 12-9 lead.  The Abbey responded, scoring four points in a row for a 13-12 lead.  The Abbey ended the period with a 5-2 run to take the set 25-21.

In set 2, the Crusaders did not lead after the 1-0 mark, but played Limestone tough, never trailing by more than five points.

Set 3 was very competitive, as neither team led by more than two points, until Belmont Abbey scored three in a row to take a 15-11 lead.  The Crusaders maintained a four-point lead for a while, leading 19-15 at one point.  After the Saints took a 20-19 lead, it was back and forth until a Limestone error and a kill by Robert Nixon sealed the Abbey's 32-30 set victory.

The fourth was another close battle as a Limestone attack error gave the Crusaders the first 3-point lead of the set at 16-13.  The Saints tied the set up at 20 before the Crusaders went on a 5-2 run  to seal the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.

On the night, Nolan Albrecht led the Crusaders with 19 kills, while Brennan Beyner had 11.  Derek Sullivan handed out 38 assists.  Albrecht and Robert Valentine paced the defense with 10 digs each.  Gavin Schaffer chipped in seven.

The Crusaders will next welcome Mt. Olive on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 PM.