BELMONT, N.C. — The Catawba College men's volleyball team suffered its first loss in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, dropping the final two sets of a 3-2 nail-biter against Belmont Abbey at the Wheeler Center.

TEAM STATS
- Air-tight defense limited Catawba (1-1) to a .155 hitting percentage, while the host Crusaders (1-0) batted .192 in their season opener
- Belmont Abbey served five aces compared to Catawba's three in another match filled with off-target deliveries, a total of 49 service errors between both sides
- The blue and white faced the program's second-largest blocking mark by an opponent as The Abbey amassed 13 blocks, in comparison to the Catawba Indians' eight
- Catawba set a program record with 56 digs in the contest, but the Crusaders won the category by two stops

INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Justin Arrowood compiled 16 kills with 10 digs for his first career double-double, also adding three block assists on the defensive front
- John Cordray remained effective as the sophomore pin whacked 14 kills on a .237 success rate with six digs and two blocks
- Anders Christianson nearly crossed into double figures offensively with nine darts in addition to one block and four digs
- Kristian Smith racked up 32 assists and eight digs to go with two aces and three block assists; Ryan Ferguson also saw time at setter in the fourth set, collecting eight dimes and a dig
- Max Adkisson notched career highs of 21 digs and five helpers during one of the sophomore libero's best performances in blue and white

UP NEXT
In less than 24 hours, Catawba steps onto home court for the first time against Lees-McRae at Goodman Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.