DUE WEST, SC - After winning its first ever postseason home match, the Belmont Abbey Men's Volleyball team travelled to Erskine College for another first in program history. Friday night's game marked the Crusaders' first semifinal game appearance. They battled hard but lost a tightly contested match in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 22-25, 16-25).

Senior outside hitter Nolan Albrecht led the Crusaders with 19 kills on a .227 hitting percentage. Fellow senior outside hitter Jon Lowenhagen turned in a solid performance with 10 kills on a .526 hitting percentage. Defensive specialist David Radoszewski led the team with 10 digs. Senior setter Derek Sullivan recorded 36 assists.

For the Fleet, senior outside hitter Mike Michelau led the team with 22 kills and a .317 hitting percentage, while digging out 8 balls. Junior outside hitter Roberto Perez Vargas added 14 kills and 6 digs. Senior libero Michael Schneck led the Fleet with 12 digs on the night. Senior setter David Grandy recorded a match-high 40 assists.

Belmont Abbey, for the night, totaled 43 kills on a .179 hitting percentage, with 34 digs. Erskine outpaced the Crusaders in all those categories with 51 kills on a .221 hitting percentage, while digging out 44 balls.

This year marked the best season in the 4 year history of the Crusaders' men's volleyball team. They set records in wins and hosted and won their first postseason match. There is much promise for this program headed into the 2016-2017 season, with Coach Manzi going into his second year leading this program. Stay tuned to www.AbbeyAthletics.com for updates on your Belmont Abbey College Crusaders.