MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders on Friday evening in Kornegay Arena, falling by set scores of 25-23, 25-20, and 25-21.

The Trojans (8-7, 5-2) battled throughout the night, keeping each set competitive, but the Crusaders (12-4, 7-1) used timely runs and efficient hitting to secure the conference victory.

Mount Olive came out strong in the opening set, trading points early and holding a late 21-20 advantage. Back-to-back blocks from Jackson Lahey, Maksim Kazanov, and Jake Bedoya helped keep Mount Olive in
front, but Belmont Abbey closed the set on a 5-2 run to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, Mount Olive again stayed within striking distance, tying the score multiple times early. However, the Crusaders used a mid-set surge to build separation and held off a late Trojan push to claim a 25-20 win and a 2-0 match advantage.

The third set followed a similar script, with Mount Olive continuing to
fight and cutting the deficit to as little as two points late. Despite kills from Brooks Ignosci and Kory Grant, Belmont Abbey maintained control down the stretch to complete the sweep.

Matthew Ekberg led the Trojans offensively with 11 kills, while Brooks Ignosci contributed eight kills and strong all-around play, and Lahey paced the offense with 28 assists. As a team, Mount Olive recorded 33 kills and hit .200 in the match while adding 26 digs and 5.5 total blocks.

Mount Olive will look to bounce back as it returns to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. against North Greenville.