WILSON, N.C. -- Belmont Abbey took the opening set from Conference Carolinas leader Barton, but the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-17) victory over the Crusaders on Thursday night. The contest was the first in a string of three crucial matchups in consecutive days, all on the road.

Belmont Abbey falls to 11-10, 6-6, while Barton now stands at 19-3, 13-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Liam Maxwell and Andrew Kohut topped double figures for kills with 14 and 12, respectively.
• Brennan Davis tallied 36 kills and seven digs, both team highs.
• William Morris and Brian Long both hit .455 with six kills and one error in 11 attempts. Morris added four block assists.
• The Crusaders hit .263 for the match, with Barton posting a .432 clip, highest by an opponent all year.
• Maxwell served four aces, topping 100 for his career.
• Both teams came out firing with hitting percentages over .400 (.480 for BAC and .458 for Barton). The score was tied several times before the Crusaders tallied back-to-back points at 22-22, then followed a service error with a Maxwell kill for a 25-23 win.
• In the second, the Bulldogs broke a 7-7 tie with four straight points, then opened a 17-10 lead before tying the match 25-19.
• Barton opened the third with four straight points and never trailed during a 25-16 set.
• Another 4-0 run -- this after a Belmont Abbey 2-0 lead -- pushed the Bulldogs to the fourth-set victory.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey stays in Eastern North Carolina for a matchup at Mount Olive tomorrow night. The Trojans took a 3-0 win in the first meeting earlier this season.