CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In their first match back following a silent week due to spring break, the Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team (9-9, 3-1 IVA) fell 3-0 to the North Greenville Crusaders (11-4, 7-1 CC) on Friday evening. The Crusaders handed the Royals their second straight loss heading into another showdown with King University on Saturday, a program that the Royals fell to just before spring break.
 
The first set saw the visiting Crusaders grab a 5-2 lead early using a pair of service aces and two kills to establish a rhythm quickly. Trailing 7-4, the Royals would go on a 4-0 run to grab an 8-7 lead which would be their only lead of the first set. North Greenville responded and never trailed the remainder of the set. In the opener, the Crusaders hit .409 with 13 kills while the Royals hit a game-best .217 with 10 kills.
 
Alike the first set, the Crusaders managed to jump ahead quickly in the second with a 6-2 lead. Leading 9-5, the visitors would propel even further ahead with a 6-0 run to bring their commanding lead to 14-5. The Royals would struggle to find a rhythm in the set as every Queens point was countered by the Crusaders to hold off any comeback. North Greenville managed to maintain their attack in the second hitting with 13 kills. Through the first two sets, the Crusaders minimized their attack errors to just six despite committing eight service errors. The Royals were unable to capitalize on the Crusaders miscues as Queens committed six service errors and 12 attack errors themselves in the first two sets.
 
Needing a victory in the third set to stay alive, the Royals came out energized and looking to make a comeback. Unfortunately, the Royals were only able to tie the score twice early in the set as the Crusaders used a couple lengthy rallies to complete the sweep.
 
For the match, Daniel Leitao led the Royals with nine kills, eight digs, and a pair of block assists. Jack Brinkman also found success on the attack hitting .269 with eight kills while also adding three digs and two solo blocks.
 
Queens will quickly turnaround as they head on the road tomorrow, March 19 for a road test at King University in Tennessee. The match is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball program on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.