BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Zach Puentes tallied 12 kills, six digs and six blocks and Belmont Abbey hit .367, leading the secomnd-seeded Crusaders to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-22) win over No. 1 Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas Men's Volleyball Championship match Saturday afternoon.

With the win, The Abbey becomes the first men's volleyball program in league history to defend its tournament title and claim the NCAA automatic bid. Last year, the Crusaders defeated North Greenville in the final.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Puentes posted team highs in kills and digs, while his block total was one shy of the team lead. He hit .500 with just one error in 22 attempts.
• Ryan Charles connected at a .421 clip, reaching double figures in kills (10) for just the xth time all season.
• Joseph Morris dished out 39 assists, while adding five digs and two blocks. He also had three kills, including a dump that ended the second set.
• Garrett Hockman led the team with seven blocks, while chipping in six kills (.385) and two digs.
• Caden Day added nine kills.
• Puentes was named Most Valuable Player for the tournament, while Morris was named to the all-tournament team.
• Mount Olive swept The Abbey twice during the regular season and had dropped just two sets total during a 14-0 conference regular season.
• This marks the second time that the No. 2 seeded Crusaders knocked off No. 1 Mount Olive at King in the championship match. The Abbey won its first conference title in 2021 under the same scenario.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey awaits its NCAA Tournament seeding, which will be announced tomorrow at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com.
• Nine teams will be selected with two playing an opening-round game at a campus site on May 2.
• The other teams will be compete at the Covelli Center on the Ohio State campus in Columbus, Ohio.