BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey acrobatics & tumbling team returned to action to host No. 5 seed Converse in the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Tournament Saturday evening at the Wheeler Center.
 
In  a meet that was close throughout, it was the Valkyries who earned the 256.475-254.725 victory over the No. 4 seed Crusaders.
 
Both teams are now 5-5 following Saturday's meet and Converse advances to the Conference Carolinas Tournament semifinals against top-seeded Limestone next weekend.
 
Event 1 — Compulsory
The Crusaders took a 0.05-point lead over the Valkyries, finishing with a 35.5 to 35.45 for Converse. Belmont Abbey's best scores came in the Pyramid and Toss heats, finishing with scores of 9.55 and 9.20, respectively.
 
Event 2 — Acro
Converse took the lead after two events with a 26.45-25.45 advantage. Belmont Abbey's strongest heat was in 5-Element Acro as the team scored a 9.55/10. Isabella Schrout, Gracie Grady, Blythe Terrell, Valentina Ordonez and Mackenzie Linegar all competed in the heat for the Abbey.
 
Event 3 — Pyramid
The Crusaders closed the gap before halftime by scoring a 28.7 in the event compared to 28.6 for Converse. Belmont Abbey finished with scores of 9.4 or higher in all three heats, highlighted by a 9.75 in the Inversion Pyramid.
 
Erena Chaples, Madeleine Martin, Kylie Brophy, Bri Camp, Emily Wueste, Gaby Cox, Kristin Fary and Sydney Singh competed in the heat.
 
Event 4 — Toss
Belmont Abbey took the lead back after edging out Converse 27-26. The Crusaders put together a strong 9.45/9.9 in the Open Toss to help push the team ahead. Maddie Quinlan, Bri Camp, Sarah Brady, Martin, Linegar and Grady all competed in the heat for the Crusaders.
 
Event 5 — Tumbling
Converse took the lead back with a 51.775 compared to a 50.375 for Belmont Abbey. In the team passes, the Duo and Trio passes both finished with identical 8.2 scores. Gaby Cox and Sadie Hunt competed in Duo while Quinlan, Deanna Woolard and Chaples competed in Trio.
 
In the individual passes, all three finished with scores of 8.625 or higher. Hunt finished with an 8.85/9.4 in the 6-Element Pass while Quinlan finished with a 8.8/9.1.
 
Event 6 — Team Event
As was the case throughout the meet, both teams were close. Converse finished with an 88.20/102.05. Belmont Abbey had an 87.70/101.55.
 
UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey will await to see who qualifies for the Event Finals as part of the Conference Carolinas Tournament next weekend in Bristol, Tennessee.
• The Event Finals are scheduled for next Sunday, April 14th beginning at 11 a.m.