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Opposite Matthew Staskunas showed why he was the 2024 ConfCarolinas Offensive Player of the Year.
Staskunas finished with a team-high 16 kills on a .364 attack percentage as the No. 1 seed Belmont Abbey defeated the No. 2 seed North Greenville 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-17 in the ConfCarolinas Tournaments finals in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Belmont Abbey with this victory secures its second ConfCarolinas championship in program history and will earn the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Staskunas led all players with nine kills in the final game to secure the championship, including having three consecutive kills as part of a 5-1 to close out the match. The opposite with the second game tied at 19-19 had a kill to give the Crusaders the lead and jumpstart game-ending 6-1 run.
Belmont Abbey out-hit North Greenville .237 to .179 en route earning its ninth consecutive win. Belmont Abbey also rebounded from hitting in the negative in its third-game loss and hit a match-best .400 in the fourth game.
Along with Staskunas, outside attackers Ryan Charles and Zach Puentes each added nine kills.
Belmont Abbey finished with 11 blocks – five more blocks than North Greenville. Middle attacker Jibriel Elhaddad led all players with seven blocks, while Ethan Rehmman and Puentes both contributed four blocks.
Libero Alejandro Leon defensively also had a match-high 12 digs.
North Greenville pin-hitter Mark Autry in the loss had a match-high 17 kills on a .448 attack percentage.
Belmont Abbey will make its first NCAA Tournament since 2021. The Crusaders are projected to be the No. 7 seed in the eight-team field, according to the latest Off the Block projections.