BELMONT, N.C. -- Gage Giller tallied a career-high eight kills and Belmont Abbey held Tusculum to a negative hitting percentage, lifting the Crusaders to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-23) men's college volleyball win Saturday afternoon in the Wheeler Center. The match was the 2020 home opener for The Abbey.

The Abbey (2-3) hit .183 as a team with 28 kills and 15 errors in 71 attempts. The Pioneers, 1-5 in their first year as a program, had 17 kills and 24 errors in 70 tries (-.100).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Giller connected at a .238 clip with eight kills and three errors in 21 tries.
• William Morris and Carter Eck had five kills each.
• Brennan Davis dished out 18 assists, while adding a team-high seven digs. He also had a service ace and two blocks (one solo, one assist).
• Daniel Cerqua and Morris each made four digs.
• In the opening set, Belmont Abbey scored the first three points and 11 of the first 15. In the second, another 3-0 start led to a early 11-4 advantage.
• The third was the most contested points-wise. The Crusaders opened the set with a 4-0 run and built a 19-12 lead. The Pioneers scored four in a row to close to within 19-16, then answered two BAC points with six in a row to lead 22-21.
• However, the Crusaders stopped the run and scored four of the last five for the 25-23 victory.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey takes back to the road for its Conference Carolinas opener.
• The Crusaders travel to Mount Olive on Tuesday.