VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Salisbury University volleyball team earned a split in a tri-match at Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at TowneBank Arena, defeating the Washington & Lee Generals, 3-1 (25-9, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24), before falling to the hosting Marlins, 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. WASHINGTON & LEE

• The Sea Gulls got off to a roaring start, netting the first nine points of the opening set and quickly building a 15-4 lead.
• The Generals settled down and got it back to 17-9, but Emma Quandt landed a kill that sparked an eight-point closing run. Quandt teamed up with Kiley McTaggart for the block that clinched the fixture, 25-9.
• Natalie Uibel and Jackie Mitchell combined for five kills as SU rolled out to a 9-3 lead to begin set two.
• W&L surged back to get within 17-16, but Gwen Eustace and Uibel steadied up with a block, then Mitchell landed two straight kills to make it 20-16. Salisbury outpaced the Generals two-to-one to the end of the set, when Mitchell powered down another kill to ice it, 25-19.
• After falling behind 6-3 in the third set, the Generals scored eight straight points and soon built their lead to 13-7.
• Down 18-12 later on, the Sea Gulls began clawing back with five of the next six points, using a Julie Altieri kill to cut it to 19-17. Salisbury eventually pulled within 22-21 before W&L netted two straight points. SU fought off back-to-back set points but an error by McTaggart gave the set to the Generals, 25-23.
• Salisbury controlled things early in the fourth set, going up 9-4 and keeping steady with a 17-11 margin after three straight kills from Eustace, Altieri, and Eustace again.
• The Generals countered with six of the next seven, then after two straight SU points W&L netted seven of the next eight, moving to set point at 24-21 on a block by Diane Pierre-Louis.
• Undaunted, the Sea Gulls fought off three straight set points on an attack error, Grace Rail service ace, and Eustace-McTaggart block to tie it at 24-24. Uibel then landed a kill to give SU match point, and Rail dealt another ace to seal the deal, 26-24.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jackie Mitchell led the Sea Gulls with 14 kills, posting a double-double by adding on 15 digs.
• Gwen Eustace pounded 11 kills (.400) with eight blocks (two solo).
• Kiley McTaggart registered nine kills with 10 block assists, while Emma Quandt added nine kills (.500) and eight block assists of her own.
• Julie Altieri notched her own double-double with a season-high 39 assists and 13 digs, plus five kills.
• Grace Rail secured the SU back line with 26 digs. She also added seven assists and two service aces in the Sea Gulls' 5-0 run to win set four and the match.
• Natalie Uibel managed 20 digs, plus six kills.
• The Sea Gulls swung .155 as a team and set a season high with 16 blocks.

WASHINGTON & LEE GAME NOTES

• Grace Mitchener paced the Generals up front with 13 kills, plus 11 digs.
• Allie Buchholz managed a team-high 26 assists and 16 digs.
• Vivi Vasquez chased down 24 digs.
• The Generals managed just a .017 team hitting percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. VIRGINIA WESLEYAN

• The first set proved one of runs for both sides. The Sea Gulls used a five-point swing to take an 8-7 lead before the Marlins swung it back to their side at 13-10, and SU countered with six-of-seven to go back up 17-14.
• Julie Altieri tied it 20-20 with a kill, but VWU landed five straight kills to take the set, salting it away 25-20 on an ace from Hannah Smith.
• Salisbury raced out to a 7-1 lead to begin the second set and built its cushion to 12-2 after an Ella Skye Franks ace.
• The Marlins used four- and three-point flourishes to cut the deficit to 22-19, but SU inched toward the finish line and got over thanks to a kill from Emma Quandt to salt it away, 25-21.
• VWU built a 9-3 lead early in the third set, eventually going up 14-7 on back-to-back aces from Haley Sutton.
• The Sea Gulls answered point-for-point through the rest of the set, but the Marlins kept them at arm's length and put away a 25-17 victory on an Emma Claytor kill.
• Tied 10-10 in the fourth set, VWU netted five in a row to take control at 15-10, keeping the margin up to the 20-15 mark.
• The Sea Gulls inched back and got within 22-20, but the Marlins powered down three of the final four points, with Smith's strike finishing the job and the match, 25-21.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jackie Mitchell landed 15 kills against just one error, good for an impressive .424 hitting percentage. Mitchell also added eight digs.
• Kiley McTaggart powered down eight kills, while Emma Quandt added seven.
• Gwen Eustace managed six kills and four blocks (one solo).
• Julie Altieri eclipsed 30 assists for the second time on the day, serving up 34 helpers with 10 digs for another double-double.
• Natalie Uibel led the back line with 15 digs, while Grace Rail chased down 11.
• The Sea Gulls hit .226 as a team, including .393 in the fourth set.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN GAME NOTES

• Abigail Mahoney led a balanced Marlin attack with 17 kills (.500).
• Emma Claytor landed 14 kills (.538) without an error
• Morgan Ludovici and Hannah Smith each posted 11 kills and 13 digs.
• Haley Sutton set up 34 assists, while Niya Nash added 18.
• Cara Caruso clocked in 17 digs.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will take on a pair of Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) foes next Saturday in Newport News, Va.
• Salisbury will renew its rivalry with hosts Christopher Newport at 12 p.m., followed by its first-ever matchup against Warren Wilson at 2 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.