BELMONT, N.C. -- Renata Bolado registered 21 kills and seniors Tyler Case and Lola Sultenfuss added 13 each, leading Belmont Abbey to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 25-21) victory over Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas women's volleyball action Saturday afternoon. The contest was the regular-season home finale and served as Senior Day for four Crusaders.

With the victory, Belmont Abbey improves to 15-11 overall and 10-9 in league play, while Lees-McRae falls to 10-18, 10-9. Both teams are 4-3 in Northwest Division play with Tuesday's finales potentially deciding the division title.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bolado hit .245 (21k-9e-49a), while tallying nine digs and five service aces. Her final serve -- on match point -- hit the tape and dropped over for the victory.
• Case hit .265 (13k-6e-31a) while Sultenfuss connected at a .226 (13k-6e-31a) clip. Case added nine digs and two blocks, while Sultenfuss recorded seven digs, two blocks and two service aces
• Emma Youngblood directed the offense with 50 assists, helping Belmont Abbey finish with 58 kills and a .238 hitting percentage. She also chipped in five digs and two blocks.
• As a team, Belmont Abbey had 11 service aces, the 11th time this year it has reached double figures.
• Belmont Abbey opened with a tightly-contested first set, using a late push to secure a 25-23 victory. The Crusaders followed with their strongest offensive set of the match, hitting .304 in a 25-16 win in the second.
• Lees-McRae responded to take the third set 25-22, but Belmont Abbey answered in the fourth. The Crusaders built a 17-12 advantage and held off a late Bobcats rally to close out the 25-21 win.
• Four seniors were honored during a pregame ceremony -- Mary Grace Hogue, Sophia Kane, Case and Sultenfuss.

• Belmont Abbey closes out the 2026 regular season at Converse on Tuesday.
• A victory would give the Crusaders a share of the Northwest Division and clinch a first-round home match for the conference tournament.
• The contest begins at 6 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.