Box Score BELMONT, N.C. -- Belmont Abbey had four players top double figures in kills, hitting .331 as a team, leading the top-seeded Crusaders to a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21) victory over No. 2 seed Mount Olive in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Championship match. The win marked the third straight tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth for The Abbey.
The Crusaders improved to 20-5 overall with their third win over the Trojans (15-9) this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Caden Day tallied 16 kills and a career-high 13 digs. He connected at a .429 (16k-4e-28a) rate, while also adding an assist.
- Zach Puentes and Logan Erickson recorded 11 kills each, finishing with 22 kills on the weekend. Erickson was the leading hitter in the final with a .588 percentage (11k-1e-17a).
- Joseph Morris dished out 46 assists and had six digs. He also tallied seven kills and a .273 hitting percentage.
- Libero Alejandro Leon was credited with nine digs and a .969 receiving percentage. As a team, the Crusaders had 43 digs.
- Erickson, Puentes and Morris recorded the team's three service aces.
- After the teams split the first two sets, the third proved to be pivotal with nine ties and five lead changes.The biggest lead for either team was just two points on several occasions. The Trojans were up 20-18 as the traded points on several serves, but then the Crusaders rattled off three points in a row to take the lead. The score was tied again at 22, when Erickson, who did not play the first two sets, had back-to-back kills for a 24-22 lead. After a UMO kill, Elhaddad ended the set on a kill for a 2-1 lead.
- The fourth set saw The Abbey break an 11-11 tie with three straight points and they never trailed again.
- Morris was named tournament Most Valuable Player, while Day and Erickson joined him on the all-tournament team.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey will make its third straight and fourth overall NCAA Tournament appearance in two weeks.
- The 12-team field will be announced next Sunday with three-team regionals hosted by the top four seeds.
