ARLINGTON, Va. – The Salisbury University volleyball team stayed undefeated in matches that have gone the distance this season, outlasting the Marymount (Va.) Saints, 3-2 (23-25, 25-14, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10), on Tuesday night at Converse Family Fieldhouse.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints netted six of the first eight points in the first set and eventually built an 18-11 lead before Salisbury made its move. SU scored six of the next seven to get within 19-17 and tied it 21-21 on a kill from Jackie Mitchell.
• The Sea Gulls took a 23-22 lead after a pair of MMU errors, but the Saints bounced back for three straight points, including back-to-back kills from Kaitlyn Doyle, to clinch the first set, 25-23.
• Salisbury regrouped and came out strong in the second set, using an early eight-point run capped by a Gwen Eustace block to build an 8-2 advantage.
• Marymount got as close as 14-10, but the Sea Gulls rattled off six in a row, including a pair of kills from Eustace, to go up 20-10. SU soon after closed out a 25-14 set win after Eustace again brought the hammer down.
• The teams boxed evenly through the third set, with Salisbury leading 15-14, before the Sea Gulls began to pull away. A block from Emma Quandt and Kiley McTaggart capped a 5-2 push that built the lead to 20-16.
• MMU eventually closed the gap to 21-19, but a bad set, Mitchell kill, and Eustace block brought SU to the brink, 24-19. Three plays later a Saint attack error salted it away for Salisbury, 25-21.
• The Sea Gulls raced out to an 11-4 lead early in the fourth set, but Marymount came storming back with a 15-3 flourish to go up 19-14. SU kept pace until the 23-20 mark, when a bad set and Doyle kill put the fixture in the Saints' column, 25-20, and set up a decisive fifth.
• Three bad swings from MMU helped Salisbury go up 4-1 early in the fifth set, but the Saints rebounded to claw back within 7-6. At this point the teams traded the next eight points, allowing the Sea Gulls to retain a one-point lead at 11-10.
• McTaggart and Mitchell then powered down back-to-back kills, and after another Saint attack error, Julie Altieri teamed up with Eustace for the clinching block, putting it in the books for SU, 15-10.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Natalie Uibel put together a standout day for the Sea Gulls, recording her second double-double of the year with a team-high 15 kills and 13 digs.
• Gwen Eustace swung .304 on the way to landing 10 kills. She also registered five blocks (four solo).
• Jackie Mitchell landed eight kills and chased down 14 digs, while Kiley McTaggart added six kills and three blocks (two solo).
• Emma Quandt went up for four blocks (three solo).
• Julie Altieri paced the offense with 22 assists, plus seven digs. Brooke Young served up 14 assists and five digs.
• Grace Rail chased down 25 digs to lead the SU back line.
• The Sea Gulls swung .190 as a team, including a match-best .286 in the decisive fifth set.
• Salisbury blocked 12 MMU attacks compared to just six blocks for the Saints.
• SU is now 4-0 in five-set matches this season after going the distance to beat Stevenson (Sept. 2), Bowdoin (Sept. 9), and Mary Washington (Sept. 30).

MARYMOUNT GAME NOTES

• Kaitlyn Doyle powered down a team-high 24 kills with 12 digs for a double-double.
• Jada Griffith landed 10 kills, while Maya Harris added nine kills with 13 digs.
• Alexis Franklin notched 47 assists with 15 digs.
• Eliza Freeman corralled 30 digs on the back line.
• The Saints posted a .109 hitting percentage for the match.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will return to Virginia on Saturday for a tri-match in Virginia Beach.
• SU will square off with Washington & Lee at 1:30 p.m., followed by a bout with hosts Virginia Wesleyan 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 and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.