DUE WEST, S.C. -- Belmont Abbey dropped the first set against Erskine Saturday but quickly responded for a 3-1 victory over the Flying Fleet in Conference Carolina's men's volleyball action. The result clinched no worse than the number two seed and a quarterfinal bye for the Crusaders in the conference tournament, which is being held in Belmont next month. 

The Abbey improves to 15-4 overall and 10-1 in league play while Erskine falls to 8-11, 4-6.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Caden Day had a team-high 17 kills, hitting .250 in the contest. He added a service acea and eight digs.
• Jibriel Elhaddad tallied 13 kills and a .455 hitting percentage with five blocks. 
• Zach Puentes posted his second double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs. He connected at a .308 clip, hitting just two errors. He also tied for the team lead in service aces with two.
• Joseph Morris dished out 34 assists, with two aces and seven digs. He was also credited with four block assists.
• maxwell Imig and TJ Neville both hit over .300 with seven and five kills, respectively.
• Belmont Abbey hit .275 as a team during the match, while Erskine tallied a .156 percentage. The Flying Fleet hit .500 in the opening-set win, but only .048 in the remaining sets.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey continues its road trip on Tuesday at King.
• The Crusaders defeated the Tornado 3-0 in Belmont on Feb. 21.