Belmont Abbey College Men's Volleyball

Jason Gault is in his ninth year as Head Coach of the Belmont Abbey men's and women's golf teams, having been promoted to the position on June 14, 2013. He was elevated to the position after serving as the associate head coach for the men’s program in 2012-13. Gault was also the Crusaders' part-time assistant coach for the men and women in 2011-12 and worked as a volunteer assistant the previous year. A two time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year -- in 2013 for the men and 2021 for the women -- Gault is coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history. The women's team captured its first-ever league title and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Regional, while the men's team held a No. 44 national ranking after placing third in the conference championship. Gault guided his first men's team to a national ranking as high as ninth after posting two wins and three other top five finishes. The Crusaders also won the stroke play portion at the Conference Carolinas championships. Under his tutelage, Adam Hedges and John Frisby were the top two ranked players in the Southeast Region, with Hedges earning his second consecutive Conference Carolinas Player of the Year honor. Hedges qualified for the NCAA National Championships after advancing in a playoff in the regional. Nick Stafford was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year in both 2017 and 2018, advancing to the NCAA South-Southeast Regional as an individual both years. Additionally, Jacob Scruggs was tabbed Freshman of the Year in 2017 while 15 players have earned all-conference honors during his tenure. On the women's side, seven players have been named to all-conference teams with Jenna Nagy a first-team selection in 2021 after finishing as conference tournament runner-up. A native of Gastonia, Gault attended Ashbrook High School and later matriculated to Lenoir-Rhyne. He and his wife Emily have two children, Ethan and Callie.

Manzi said. "I am excited to build on the success that the program has showed each of the past three seasons. There is a wonderful nucleus of talent and leadership in place and I look forward to building the men's program into a conference and national contender."

Michael Salomon is in his sixth season as head coach for Belmont Abbey Tennis, overseeing both the men's and women's programs. He came to The Abbey from Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md., where he served as an assistant coach for one year after a solid career for the Mountaineers. During his time at The Abbey, Salomon has led the Crusaders to unprecedented success. The men's team shared the Conference Carolinas regular-season title for the first time in 2017, advancing to the championship match for the first time as well. The Crusaders finished the year 21-13 overall, including 9-1 in the league and had three players -- George Barfoot (first-team), Zachary Blythe (second team) and James Delaney (second-team) earn all-conference honors. Additionally, four men's players and a women's player were named to the academic all-conference team. Barfoot enters the spring portion of the schedule ranked 14th in the region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He advanced to the Round of 16 Main Draw at the ITA Southeast Regionals in September. In 2015, his first year with the Crusaders, he led the men to a nine-win season, seven more than the previous year, while the women also posted an improvement. On the men’s side, Delaney was recognized as third-team All-Conference Carolinas selection after going 6-4 in doubles and 7-3 in singles during league play. Delaney also became the first player to earn ITA Regional honors since the program was restarted in 2010 as he was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Region Rookie of the Year. In addition, the doubles team of Conner McMann and Juan Baez made it to the Round of 16 in the Main Draw of the ITA Southeast Regional, defeating a nationally-ranked Lander team before falling to the No. 3 team in the nation from Armstrong State. McMann and Baez also knocked off other nationally-ranked doubles competition throughout the course of the spring season. A former Northeast Conference Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Salomon finished his four-year career as the Mount's career singles leader with 74 victories. The Haymarket, Virginia native compiled a 74-33 singles record, including a program record 56 dual match singles wins. His 56 wins in doubles play are also the most by any Mount player in school history. A 2012 First Team All-Northeast Conference selection at No. 4 singles, Salomon helped lead the Mountaineers to the NEC Semifinals as a junior and senior. Following his junior campaign, Salomon was named the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's tennis. As a senior in 2012-13, Salomon received the Sheridan Award, which is voted on by the Mount athletic department. It is awarded to the college student-athlete, who, through athletic and academic achievement, has exemplified the spirit and dedication demanded by intercollegiate athletics, and who, through such activity has fostered the ideals of Monsignor John L. Sheridan and Mount St. Mary's University. Salomon graduated from Mount Saint Mary's in 2013 with a double major in Economics and Business and earned his MBA in 2014. 

Now in his fifth season, Derek Sullivan continues to take the Belmont Abbey men's volleyball program to new heights. Under his leadership, the Crusaders have compiled a 68-46 record, capturing back-to-back Conference Carolinas Championships -- and NCAA Tournament berths -- in 2024 and 2025. The 2024 team claimed the program’s first-ever regular season title. Sullivan has built a culture of excellence both on and off the court. He recruited and coached Belmont Abbey’s first-ever men’s volleyball AVCA All-Americans, Matthew Staskunas and Zach Puentes, guided multiple all-conference athletes, and coached three players who went on to professional careers. During his tenure, the program has produced two Elite 23 award winners and two school valedictorians, Clay Zimmerman and Zach Cramer, while maintaining a team GPA of 3.35 or higher for five consecutive years. His success earned him the 2024 Conference Coach of the Year award and recognition as an AVCA “30 Under 30” honoree. Sullivan was elevated to the position of head coach on August 27, 2021 after two season as an assistant coach, aiding in practice and game preparations, recruiting and overall administration within the program. During that time, the Crusaders posted a 23-18 record, winning their first-ever Conference Carolinas Tournament and earning an historic NCAA Championship bid. Additionally, the program was named the winner of the Conference Carolina Messick Award for sportsmanship in 2021. He began his collegiate coaching career at William & Mary College with the Division I women’s volleyball program and also has extensive club and USA Volleyball experience. As a student-athlete, Sullivan evolved into one of the elite setters in program history. He now ranks second all-time in assists and in assists per set, while his 112 matches and 398 sets played still stand as school records, as do 1,003 assists in a season and 66 assists in a match. Following his collegiate career, Sullivan played professionally for on season at Tendring Volleyball Club in Colchester, England, helping the club advance to the finals in the NVL Division 1 league. In 2020, he signed to play professionally for the National Volleyball Association (NVA) in the United States, and play for Southern Exposure.  Sullivan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from The Abbey (2016) earned a Master’s degree in Organized Crime, Terrorism, and Security from the University of Essex. He currently resides in Charlotte with his wife, Heather Gearhart, who is the head women’s volleyball coach at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. updated 9/24/2025

Elyea enters her second season as head coach of the women's volleyball program. She also serves as the assistant coach for the Crusaders men's program. In her first season, Elyea led the Belmont Abbey to a 16-14 overall record and No. 3 North seed in the Conference Carolinas Championship. The Crusaders finished 9-7 in league play, before falling the quarterfinal round of the postseason tournament. She mentored outside hitter Hannah Schellenberg, who became the school's first All-America selection and a two-time conference Player of the Year pick. In addition, middle blocker Caitlin Hankins and setter Gabby Martinez each were second-team all-conference choices. Elyea came to Belmont Abbey after working the past six seasons as the head coach at Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Ind., an all-women's college that competed at the NCAA Division III level. In 2009, her first season leading the Belles, she saw one of her players receive first team all-conference honors along with two Player of the Week selections. After bringing in a very strong first-year class in 2011, Elyea's team improved in nearly every statistical category. The 2012 season was laden with success. The team captured the North Park Classic, then started league play 4-1, the best five-match record for a Saint Mary's volleyball team since joining the conference in 1997. The season ended with sophomore Kati Schneider garnering first team all-conference honors, making her the fifth player in program history to be named to the first team. During the 2013 season, Schneider repeated as a first-team all-conference selection while Katie Hecklinski earned second-team accolades to give the team multiple all-conference student-athletes for the first time since 2008. As a team, the Belles finished fourth in the MIAA and earned a berth in the MIAA Tournament. In 2014, the Belles posted a 15-13 record, their highest total since 2008 and had one all-conference honoree. During Elyea's tenure, the Belles had five All-MIAA honorees. She saw multiple players achieve Player of the Week honors eight times and coached several athletes to all-tournament team awards. Moreover, Elyea's teams consistently had success in the classroom, including multiple AVCA Team GPA Awards. A native of Pine River, Minnesota, Elyea is a graduate of Pine River-Backus High School. After a successful prep career in volleyball and softball, she went on to play collegiate volleyball and softball at Central Lakes College. During her time at Central Lakes, she was a defensive specialist for two state, regional, and national championship volleyball teams. She also was the starting catcher at Central Lakes where the team finished both seasons as state and regional champions as well as finishing seventh at the national championship in 2001. From Central Lakes, she went on to earn her bachelor's degree in recreation and sport management from Saint Cloud State University in 2005.