BELMONT, N.C. -- Matteo Miselli tallied 20 kills and Matthew Staskunas added 17 but Belmont Abbey dropped a thrilling 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 31-29) decision to Erskine in Conference Carolinas men's volleyball action Saturday night. The total for Staskunas was a career-high as were his 37 attempts.

With the result, the Crusaders fall to 6-10 overall and 4-3 in league play, while Erskine moves into a first-place tie in the conference at 8-7, 5-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Staskunas hit .405, while Alex Winiarczyk connected at a .421 pace with eight kills and no errors in 19 attempts.
• After each team won a set almost from start to finish, the third and four sets combined for 26 ties and seven lead changes. The Abbey saved four match points before a final attack error.
• Matthew Maxwell tallied 49 assists and had seven digs.
• Winiarczyk and Daniel Cerqua led the defensive effort with eight digs each.
• Ethan Rehmann tallied five blocks (one solo). As a team, Belmont Abbey had 9.5.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey closes out a six-match homestand on Tuesday night.
• The Crusaders welcome Limestone into the Wheeler Center for a 6 p.m. start.