BELMONT, N.C. – The King University men's volleyball team dropped their road matchup Saturday, 3-0 to Belmont Abbey.
AJ Drooker finished with 11 kills and two service aces, while
Aiden Olson had 27 assists and
Justin Sawyer had 11 digs.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Belmont Abbey 3, King 0 (25-23, 25-21, 27-25)
LOCATION: Wheeler Center; Belmont, N.C.
RECORDS: King 6-18, 4-9 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 17-4, 12-1 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- The Crusaders took an early 7-2 lead before King started to fight back, going on a 11-7 scoring run to pull to within 14-13 on an Olson kill.
- King was able to stay within three points for the rest of the set, but after the Crusaders reached set point at 24-21, Olson and Sean Haberthy teamed up for a block, followed by a Belmont Abbey attack error to make the score 24-23.
- The Crusaders were able to score the final point, winning the set 25-23.
Second Set
- Belmont Abbey took a 13-9 lead before a pair of King points brought them to within 13-11.
- After the lead reached 15-11, the Tornado scored three in a row, including a solo block by Olson to pull to within 15-14.
- A Crusaders service error brought King to within 18-17, but Belmont Abbey scored seven of the final 11 points, winning the set 25-21 despite late kills by Kellan Kennedy and Haberthy.
Third Set
- King held an early 4-2 lead, with AJ Drooker recording three early kills.
- The lead reached 8-4 after a Davis kill and Olson ace, forcing Belmont Abbey to take one of their timeouts.
- Coming out of the break, the Crusaders scored six of the next eight points, tying the set at 10.
- Kills from Drooker and Kennedy handed the Tornado a 22-20 lead, forcing another Belmont Abbey timeout.
- The Crusaders finished the set on a 7-3 scoring run, taking the set 27-25 and winning the match 3-0.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Drooker le the Tornado attack, finishing with 11 kills, six digs and two service aces.
- Aiden Olson had 27 assists, along with a team-high four blocks.
- Justin Sawyer had 11 digs on the game, with Warren Davis adding nine.
FOR THE FOES
- Zach Puentes led all players with 12 kills.
- Joseph Morris handed out 23 assists, with Clayton Zimmerman adding 11.
UP NEXT
- King will play a nonconference match Tuesday at Tusculum, with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
- The Crusaders will play at Queens Tuesday night.
