BELMONT, N.C. -- The highest-profile and highest-ranked team ever to visit the Wheeler Center faced a dogfight Thursday night, but two-time defending NCAA national champion and No. 1 Hawaii escaped with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-20) victory over Belmont Abbey in men's college volleyball action. Matteo Miselli led all players with 12 kills and added five digs, also a team high for the Crusaders.

Belmont Abbey falls to 1-6 overall, while the Rainbow Warriors stay undefeated at 6-0. A standing-room only crowd of 1,154 -- the highest ever for a men's volleyball match -- enjoyed the evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Matthew Maxwell tallied four kills with a .333 hitting percentage. and added 17 assists. He also registered three digs.
• Matthew Staskunas and Ethan Rehmann each added three kills.
• As a team, The Abbey shot .111 while Hawaii connected at a .297 clip.
• The Crusaders had two service aces, one by Miselli and the other by Jay Beller.
• The opening set featured four ties, but The Abbey could never grab the lead. It closed to 19-17 after an emphatic kill at the net by Maxwell, but Hawaii scored three straight en route to a 25-18 set win.
• Belmont Abbey tallied the opening point of the second set but then fell behind 9-3. The Crusaders cut the gap to 17-15, but could never get closer.
• In the third set, the Abbey made its fiercest charge. Four straight points turned a 16-14 deficit into an 18-16 lead, then the run extended to 6-1 for a 20-18 advantage. But Hawaii responded with seven in a row to set up double-match point and eventually posted a 25-21 win.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey returns to action in two weeks, Wednesday, February 8 at Erskine.
• The match will be the Conference Carolinas opener.