FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The fourth-seeded Salisbury University volleyball team saw its run to a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) championship fall one win short, bowing to the second-seeded Mary Washington Eagles, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16), in the C2C Tournament finals on Saturday afternoon at Ron Rosner Arena.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles grabbed control early in the first set, going on a 6-1 run to build an 11-4 lead. After the Sea Gulls whittled it down to 14-9, UMW strung together four straight, capped by a Chloe Crosen kill that made it 18-9.
• SU got as close as 21-16 but it was too little, too late, as the Eagles clocked in four of the final six, putting the set away at 25-18 on a kill from Sarah Moore.
• After giving up the first two points of the second set, Salisbury flipped the script, going on a 9-1 run and taking a 9-3 lead on a strike from Jackie Mitchell. UMW immediately answered with six straight to tie it at 9-9, setting up a punch-for-punch stretch through the middle of the frame.
• Down 20-19 late, Gwen Eustace brought the Sea Gulls square with a kill, then the Eagles committed three straight attack errors to make it 23-20. Brooke Young pushed an overpass to the UMW back line for a kill, then Young dropped a setter dump for another kill that capped the 6-0 run and put the set in the SU column, 25-20.
• The Eagles countered with their own big run to open the third set, netting the first five points and eight of the first nine. UMW boosted the advantage to 12-3 before Salisbury answered with a 5-2 push, getting back within 14-8 after a kill from Delaney Madsen.
• Six is as close as SU would get in the frame, though, as the Eagles breezed to a 25-16 victory that Caitlyn Burch finished off with a kill.
• UMW opened the fourth set with another big run, giving up the first point but netting the next six. The Sea Gulls answered with three straight, including back-to-back aces from Young, to make it 6-4, then later on SU went on a four-point surge to take a 10-9 lead.
• The Eagles soon after brought their own four-point swing to go up 14-11, then Salisbury netted three of the next four to get back within 15-14. At this point UMW found a new gear, powering to the finish line on a 10-2 run and netting the match's final five points. Brenna Campbell's service ace salted it away at 25-16, setting off a wild celebration in front of the home crowd.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Amanda Chew recorded her 42nd career double-double and 16th this season, powering a team-high 15 kills and 21 digs.
• Angelina Casserly belted nine kills, and Jackie Mitchell pounded eight kills with 12 digs.
• Gwen Eustace racked up eight kills and Delaney Madsen landed six kills on a .357 swing percentage.
• Blair Pausic led the Sea Gulls with 24 assists and eight digs. Brooke Young added 18 assists with four digs and three of SU's five service aces.
• Grace Rail paced the back line with 22 digs, while Natalie Uibel chased down 16 digs.
• Salisbury landed 52 kills against 27 errors on 187 swings, good for a .134 hitting percentage.
• Chew and Rail were each named to the C2C All-Tournament Team.

MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

• Jordan Lyons threw herself all over the court, leading the Eagles with both 15 kills and 26 digs. Lyons also dealt four service aces.
• Krista Rodgers landed 10 kills with no errors, swinging .476 for the match. Rodgers also totaled five blocks (four solo).
• Chloe Crosen and Emily Flamm clocked nine and eight kills, respectively.
• Lauren Foley just missed a double-double with a team-high 23 assists and nine digs. Brenna Campbell did accomplish a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs.
• Hanna Livermon chased down 20 digs to go along with four assists and two aces.
• UMW swung .226 for the match, powering down 53 kills against 13 errors on 177 attacks.
• The Eagles dealt nine aces to SU's five and outblocked the Sea Gulls 7-2.

UP NEXT

• The 20-8 Sea Gulls will now wait to see if they earned an at-large bid into their first NCAA Tournament since 2013.
• The 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament Selection Show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com on Monday at 1 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 Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.