NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Salisbury University volleyball team saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of UC Santa Cruz, falling to the Banana Slugs, 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-16), in a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) showdown on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport University.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Banana Slugs came out strong to begin the first set, using a Sinead Beaupain service ace and two blocks to post a 3-0 lead that eventually ballooned to 10-3.
• The Sea Gulls answered with two straight on an Angelina Casserly kill and attack error and kept pace until the 13-7 mark, at which point UCSC rattled off four straight and six of the next seven to build the lead to 19-8.
• Salisbury kept its head held high as Amanda Chew landed a kill that led to a 5-1 run and closed the gap to 20-13, but the Slugs regrouped and put together their own 5-1 run to ice the set at 25-14.
• Each team matched the other's steps early in the second set. Chew landed a kill that brought the Sea Gulls within 9-7, but UCSC notched four of the next five to take control at 13-8.
• After each team strung together three straight points, SU clocked in four in a row and six of the next seven, capped by a Brooke Young ace that tied it at 17-17.
• The teams traded the next two points and the Slugs regained control with three in a row, but a kill from Gwen Eustace and a Jenna Feinauer block brought the Sea Gulls back within one at 21-20. That was as close as SU would get, though, as UCSC netted four in a row and salted it away 25-20 on a Drew Bryant kill.
• Chew powered a kill for the opening point of the third set, at which point the Slugs scored four straight to go up 4-1. After SU cut it to 5-3, Sydney Ahrendt's kill sparked a five-point UCSC push to up the advantage to 10-3.
• The Sea Gulls would never get closer than five the rest of the way and the Banana Slugs cruised to the sweep, leading by as many as 10 and taking the set and match, 25-16.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Amanda Chew led the Sea Gulls with nine kills against three errors on 34 swings (.176). She also chased down a team-high 14 digs.
• Angelina Casserly landed four kills, while Gwen Eustace and Natalie Uibel each added three.
• Brooke Young notched a team-high 10 assists, plus three digs and a pair of service aces. Blair Pausic recorded seven assists, and Ella Skye Franks chipped in two.
• Grace Rail dug out eight attacks, snapping her double-digit digs streak at 14 matches.
• The Sea Gulls were held to a .000 hitting percentage, landing 23 kills but committing 23 errors.

UC SANTA CRUZ GAME NOTES

• Sydney Ahrendt paced a balanced Banana Slug attack with nine kills on 15 errorless swings, good for a .600 attack percentage.
• Samantha Taylor and Peyton Tazelaar powered down eight kills apiece.
• Sinaed Beaupain led UCSC with 22 assists and three service aces, plus eight digs. Lauren Bliss served up 12 assists.
• Emily Pasion chased down a team-high 19 digs, and Tazelaar chipped in 12 digs of her own.
• The Banana Slugs swung .243 for the match, landing 43 kills against 15 errors.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will look to get back on track with a pair of C2C contests on Sunday afternoon.
• SU will open the day against hosts Christopher Newport at 1:30 p.m., followed by a matchup against Mary Washington at 4 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 189 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.

To learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.