SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team dropped its second match in Capital Athletic Conference play on Wednesday night at Maggs Physical Activities Center, falling to St. Mary's College of Maryland, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 25-17).

The first set began with the teams battling and trading points until the score was tied 7-7, but a kill from senior Nikki Binetti, followed by a Seahawk error, gave Salisbury a 9-7 lead.

A 4-0 run by St. Mary's flipped the score for a two-point SMC lead, before the Seahawks increased the advantage to 20-15 with a 9-6 run, but a 7-1 Salisbury stretch regained the lead for the Gulls.

Binetti tallied a kill and freshman Samantha Chubb grabbed one of her own in the stretch, but St. Mary's closed the set with four-straight points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Sea Gulls came back to tie the match with a second-set win, with SU using two service aces from sophomore Katie Stouffer to take an early 6-3 lead.

Tied 8-8, anther Binetti kill gave the Gulls the lead for good in the set. Two kills from sophomore Shannon Russell and one from freshman Rachel Pierson increased the lead to 14-10.

The Sea Gull lead never dropped below three for the rest of the game, as a kill from Stouffer capped the frame.

Junior Colleen White hit her first kill to give the Gulls a quick 5-3 lead in the third set. The Seahawks were able to grab the lead 8-6, but Binetti, who finished second on the team with nine kills, tallied another to help tie the game, before a service ace from senior Michelle Meehan and a combined block from Binetti and White gave Salisbury a 10-8 lead.

With SU leading 13-11, St. Mary's used a 9-1 run to take a six-point lead. Despite a 4-0 run, that ended with two Stouffer kills to bring SU to within two, the Seahawks closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the match lead; Stouffer led SU with 11 kills in the contest.

Two kills from Stouffer and a service ace from freshman Alexis Howatt put SU ahead 3-1 early in the fourth set. Kills from Howatt and Stouffer pushed the advantage to 11-7.

Trailing 15-12, St. Mary's took a 13-2 run for the rest of the match to earn the victory.

Pierson led SU with 16 assists in the match, while junior Kacey Franz paced the defense with 16 digs.

The Sea Gulls take to the road for their next action, traveling to the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, October 11; SU will compete in a tri-match, taking on Mary Washington at 1 p.m., before battling Bridgewater (Va.) College at 3 p.m.