SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team showed no signs of rust in its first match in 11 days, taking care of business against the Marymount (Va.) Saints, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-19) on Wednesday evening at Maggs Physical Activities Center.
Down 7-3 early in the first set,
Jackie Mitchell landed a kill, sparking a 4-0 Sea Gull run that blossomed into a 9-2 push to put SU in front 12-9. The Saints steadied up and got back within 14-13, but a strike from
Natalie Uibel ignited an 11-1 set-closing flourish. Salisbury managed four and then seven in a row, clinching the fixture with a block from Mitchell and
Sophia Tapia that made it 25-14.
The Sea Gulls opened up another big lead with a run early in the second set, netting six straight and 9-of-10 to flip a 4-4 tie into a 13-5 advantage, capped by a service ace from
Grace Rail. Marymount never got closer than seven points the rest of the way and SU closed on a 7-1 surge, riding another Rail ace to cap it at 25-11.
Neither side could gain momentum through the early stages of the third set, dancing more than halfway to 25 with SU sporting a narrow 16-14 lead. At that point
Julie Altieri powered down a kill, followed by a blow from
Kiley McTaggart and a pair of blocks that Tapia factored in on to get it to 20-14. The Saints soon after closed a 23-16 gap to 23-19, but McTaggart responded with a hammer and
Emma Quandt went up for a solo stuff to put the match on ice, 25-19.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart powered down a team-leading 12 kills, swinging .500 for the match. McTaggart also racked up six blocks (one solo).
- Jackie Mitchell notched her third double-double in four matches, notching 10 kills (.421) and chasing down 11 digs.
- Sophia Tapia teamed up for seven block assists as part of the Sea Gulls' 11 stuffs for the day. She also added three kills.
- Julie Altieri stuffed the box score with 27 assists, eight kills (.500), and five digs.
- Grace Rail led the back line with 14 digs, plus three service aces and two assists.
- SU swung .269 as a team with 41 kills against 13 errors and held Marymount underwater with a -.031 hitting percentage.
The Sea Gulls will stay home at Maggs PAC for a Saturday Youth Day tri-match featuring Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) rival Christopher Newport and Scranton. Salisbury will battle CNU at 12 p.m., followed by CNU-Scranton at 2:30 p.m. and Salisbury-Scranton at 4:30 p.m.
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 23 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, 199 conference championships, and 50 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.
