Match Stats
- Limestone 3, Belmont Abbey 0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-20)
- Limestone moves to 13-10; Belmont Abbey falls to 9-17
- Limestone advances to Conference Carolinas semifinals to face No. 1 seed Barton
- Gaffney, S.C.
- Attendance: 165
- Box Score
No. 4 seed Limestone made quick work of No. 5 seed Belmont Abbey in the Conference Carolinas Quarterfinals. The Saints hit .317 on the night, while limiting the Crusaders to a .170 effort with help from 11 blocks.
Senior right side Bruno Kretzschmar and junior outside hitter Anthony Savage downed 12 kills apiece to lead the Limestone effort. Kretzschmar hit .333 and added a team-best four blocks and two aces. Savage hit .320 and managed six digs. Sophomore outside Kevin Rocklein and senior middle blocker Dylan Lavner chipped in seven kills and three blocks apiece. In the backcourt, senior libero Nick Wildes tallied a team-best seven digs.
Freshman outside Liam Maxwell led Belmont Abbey with nine kills, while senior middle Brennan Beyner and senior outside Robert Nixon posted seven apiece. Beyner hit at a team-best .500 clip, while Nixon put up two blocks. Junior outside Aaron Dierkes put up three stuffs, while senior libero David Radoszerski tallied a team-best five digs.
Limestone hit at a .455 clip en route to a 25-21 Set 1 win. Two kills and an ace by Kretzschmar coupled with a handful of BA miscues put the Saints up 11-5 early. Down 18-12, the Crusaders cut the margin to two at 19-17 with help from two blocks and an ace. A pair of Lavner putaways ended the set as Limestone closed it out with four of the final six points.
The teams split the first 10 points of Set 2 before Limestone got kills from four different players to pull away at 13-9. Down 22-18, Belmont Abbey scored six straight to earn the first set-point opportunity of the stanza. Gavin Schaffer downed two kills, while two Saints errors also aided the rally. Points by Savage and Rocklein knotted the score at 24. Limestone staved another set point at 25-24, before earning one of its own at 26-25 on a Lavner putaway. Kills by Savage and Kretzschmar stole away the set for the Saints.
Limestone led 15-11 midway through Set 3 with eight kills and six Belmont Abbey miscues. Two kills and a block by Kretzschmar pushed the advantage to six at 19-13. A Bryce Sullivan ace capped a 4-1 run, which sliced the margin to three at 20-17. Limestone closed out the sweep with five of the final eight points. A Rocklein kill sent Limestone through the league semifinals.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Limestone Athletics
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Limestone College men’s volleyball team blanked Belmont Abbey College, 3-0, to move to the Conference Carolinas semifinals on Tuesday evening at the Timken Center.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 3, Belmont Abbey 0 (25-21), (28-26), (25-20)
Records: Limestone (13-10), Belmont Abbey (9-17)
Location: Timken Center
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Senior right side hitter Bruno Kretzschmar (Santa Catarina, Brazil) and junior outside hitter Anthony Savage (York, Pa.) led the Saints with 12 kills each.
- Senior setter Luca Wanek (Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany) tallied 34 assists.
- Sophomore middle blocker Julien Latard (Nimes, France) recorded six blocks (six assists).
- Senior libero Nick Wildes (Waukesha, Wisc.) notched a team-high seven digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Belmont Abbey put the first point on the board, but the Saints quickly answered with four consecutive points of their own to take an early 4-1 lead. Limestone continued to widen the gap late into the set before the Crusaders started to put mini runs together to get within two points, 21-19. In the final points, the Blue and Gold outscored the Crusaders 4-2 to take the first set 25-21.
Second Set
Play went back and forth as neither team led by more than two points until the Saints worked their way to a slim 10-7 lead. Limestone remained in control until the Crusaders went on a 6-0 run to go out ahead of the Saints 24-22. The Saints held off the two set points from the Crusaders to win 28-26.
Third Set
Limestone jumped out ahead of Belmont Abbey quickly and never looked back. The Saints found their groove and worked their way out to a 19-13 lead before Belmont Abbey tried to make a comeback. The Blue and Gold snuffed out any upset possibilities and never relinquished the lead as the Saints went on to win the third set 25-20.
UP NEXT
The Saints return to action on Friday, Apr. 21 when they travel to Wilson, N.C. to face Barton College in the Conference Carolinas semifinals. The start time has yet to be announced.
Courtesy: Belmont Abbey Athletics
Liam Maxwell tallied nine kills and Brennan Beyner and Robert Nixon added seven each, but it was not enough as fourth-seeded Limestone posted a 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-20) victory over No. 5 Belmont Abbey in the Conference Carolinas quarterfinals.
The loss snapped the Crusaders’ five-game winning streak, the second-longest in school history, and ended the season at 9-17.
Bryce Sullivan was credited with 28 assists, while David Radoszewski led the defensive effort with five digs.
After Belmont Abbey took the opening point of the match, Limestone answered with four straight. The Saints stretched the lead to 12-6 and later held a 18-12 advantage when the Crusaders responded. Three consecutive points cut the lead to 18-15, then back-to-back points after a service error made the score 19-17. With the score 21-19, two straight by Limestone stretched the lead and led to four set points, of which they converted the second for a 25-21 win.
The second set was a battle of runs with each team having chances. Limestone broke a 6-6 tie with a 4-1 surge, but Belmont Abbey scored back-to-back points to trail 10-8. The Saints led 22-18 when the Crusaders used a 6-0 run to reverse momentum and earn two set points. But Limestone was able to save both, tying the set at 24 and requiring extra points. BAC led 25-24, then saved a set point of its own to even the set at 26-26. But the Saints earned consecutive kills for the 28-26 decision.
Limestone opened the third with seven of the first 10 points, but The Abbey closed it to 10-8. After two points by the Saints pushed the lead back to four, the Crusaders used a 5-1 run to trail by two, 15-13. But Limestone scored the next four points to pull away, winning the final set 25-20.
The match marked the final appearance for Belmont Abbey’s three seniors: Radoszewski, Nixon and Beyner.
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