2023 C2C Volleyball Tournament Preview

11/9/2023 5:00:00 PM

The Rundown

After back-to-back appearances in the championship round, the third-seeded Salisbury University volleyball team will look to get over the hump as it hosts the 2023 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Tournament. The Sea Gulls will open postseason play against the second-seeded Christopher Newport Captains in the semifinal round on Friday at 1:30 p.m. inside Maggs Physical Activities Center.

#C2CVB ?? | C2C Championship Seeding

1? Mary Washington
2? Christopher Newport
3? Salisbury
4? UC Santa Cruz
5? Pratt

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— Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) (@C2CAthConf) November 6, 2023

Ticket & Parking Information

Tournament tickets will be sold in-person and online. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets online to save time at the gates. Only cash will be accepted for tickets purchased on-site.
Weekend passes for both days cost $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors aged 65-plus and children aged 5-17. Fans are reminded to keep their tickets in order to be admitted on both days of the tournament.
Fans looking to obtain a guest parking pass on Friday can CLICK HERE.
SU food truck partners Philly Pretzel Factory and Rita's of Seaford will be on site offering concessions.

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How We Got Here
How They Got Here
Series History
What's At Stake

Salisbury went 18-7 in the regular season for the second straight year, including a perfect 5-0 mark in five-set matches.
The Sea Gulls went 5-0 in matchups against C2C opponents, winning two matches each against Christopher Newport and Mary Washington and once against Warren Wilson by a combined set total of 15-3.
In the latest NCAA Regional Rankings on Nov. 5, Salisbury drew the No. 3 position in Region V.
Salisbury went 7-4 in 11 matches against teams currently holding regional rankings with wins against Bowdoin, William Smith, Mary Washington (twice), Stevens, and Christopher Newport (twice).

Christopher Newport went 20-11 in the regular season and enters the postseason having lost four of its last five.
The Captains played five matches against C2C foes in 2023, going 1-4 with a win over Warren Wilson and two losses each to Salisbury and Mary Washington.
CNU saw three players earn major C2C postseason awards: Player of the Year Alyssa Dozier (MB), Defensive Player of the Year Noelle Starr (DS/L), and Rookie of the Year Samantha Dorn (OH). Dozier was joined on the All-C2C First Team by Sammy Carroll (S), while Starr and Dorn each made the All-C2C Second Team.
The Captains slotted No. 4 in Region VI in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings.

Christopher Newport holds a 24-7 all-time series advantage dating back to 2007.
Salisbury has won three straight matches against the Captains, its longest winning streak in the series.
The Sea Gulls won a pair of sweeps against CNU during the regular season, taking a 3-0 decision in Newport News on Oct. 14 and winning 3-0 at home on Oct. 28.
The teams' last C2C Tournament matchup came in the 2021 championship round in Milwaukee, Wisc. After the Sea Gulls took a two-set lead, the Captains rallied back to force a fifth set, winning the deciding fixture 21-19 for the conference title.

The winner of the SU-CNU matchup will advance to face either top-seeded Mary Washington, fourth-seeded UC Santa Cruz, or fifth-seeded Pratt in the C2C Championship Match on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The loser of the SU-CNU match will play in the Third Place Match on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The Sea Gulls have advanced to two straight C2C finals, bowing to CNU in five sets in 2021 and Mary Washington in four sets in 2022.
Salisbury is seeking its ninth conference championship and first since 2012, as well as back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths.

The 2023 Sea Gulls

#3 Kayla Pedersen | C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year

#7 Grace Rail | All-C2C First Team

#8 Gwen Eustace | All-C2C First Team

#2 Julie Altieri | All-C2C Second Team

#20 Kiley McTaggart | All-C2C Second Team

Defensive specialist Kayla Pedersen earned major hardware as C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Two Sea Gulls were named to the All-C2C First Team. Libero Grace Rail became a two-time All-C2C First-Teamer, while middle blocker Gwen Eustace also made the First Team.
Representing SU on the All-C2C Second Team were a pair of freshmen: setter Julie Altieri and right-side hitter Kiley McTaggart.
Eustace leads the C2C in hitting percentage (.341), total blocks (106), and blocks per set (1.07) while slotting 10th in kills per set (2.23).
Rail once again tops the league in digs per set (5.28) and ranks second in total digs (454).
Altieri has put up the second-most assists per set (6.13) in the conference and third-most total assists (546). She is also one of just two players in the C2C to record a triple-double this season.
Outside hitter Jackie Mitchell ranks seventh in kills per set (2.57) and eighth in total kills (226).
Middle blockers Emma Quandt (0.82) and Delaney Madsen (0.76) slot six and eighth, respectively, in blocks per set.
Salisbury boasts national top-100 rankings in the following five statistical categories:
Blocks Per Set - 2.05 (29th)
Team Total Blocks - 193.0 (49th)
Digs Per Set - 17.63 (68th)
Opposing Hitting Percentage - .127 (81st)
Hitting Percentage - .190 (98th)
Eustace carries top-100 national rankings in blocks per set (32nd), total blocks (48th), and hitting percentage (50th).
Rail is 39th in Division III in digs per set and just outside the top 100 in total digs at 102nd.
Quandt ranks 141st in total blocks and 148th in blocks per set.
Altieri slots 186th in assists per set and 210th in total assists.

The team and I are very excited to get to play on our home court as we chase the C2C title. We have been working hard all season to prepare ourselves for this weekend, and we can't wait to compete in front of our families and the whole of Sea Gull Nation.

Nikki Binetti, Sea Gull Head Volleyball Coach

The Rundown

Ticket & Parking Information

Tournament Schedule

The 2023 Sea Gulls

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