BELMONT, N.C. -- Liam Maxwell posted 15 kills and served three aces, but it was not enough as Belmont Abbey dropped a close non-conference volleyball match 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 29-27) to Cal Baptist Friday night at the Wheeler Center. Maxwell's kill total marked the seventh time this year he has topped double figures and was two shy of his season high.

A trio of Crusaders registered five kills, while Bryce Sullivan added 22 kills and a team-best eight digs. David Radoszewski also had eight digs.

Belmont Abbey (4-16) opened the match with a 4-0 lead and later led 9-5 when the Lancers (6-18) tallied seven straight points for a 12-9 advantage. From there, the Crusaders closed the gap to just one point on six occasions, but could never take the lead in a 25-22 decision.

In the second set, CBU used early 3-0 and 4-0 runs after a 1-1 to lead 11-5. The Lancers never trailed in the set, although Belmont Abbey battled to a 23-20 deficit late in the set before falling 25-20.

An exciting third set concluded the match with both teams gaining set points late. The Crusaders trailed 9-6 but scored three straight for a 9-9 tie. The teams traded points from 11-10 to 19-18, then were tied at 20-20, before the Lancers opened a 24-21 lead. But Aaron Dierkes engineered four straight points on his serve and The Abbey led 25-24. Cal Baptist won back-to-back points for a 26-25 lead, but the Crusaders did the same for a 27-26 advantage. However, the Lancers closed the match with three straight for a 29-27 win.

Belmont Abbey makes its final regular-season road trip of the year to Pfeiffer on Tuesday, then closes the slate with four straight home matches beginning next Friday against Emmanuel.