HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Salisbury University volleyball team endured an early exit from the national stage, falling to the Middlebury Panthers 3-1 (25-14, 15-25, 25-17, 25-14) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center on the campus of Juniata College.
The Panthers controlled set one from the get-go, stringing together several mini-runs and rarely allowing the Sea Gulls to score more than two points in a row. Devin McCormick powered down a final kill to secure the fixture for MC, 25-14.
Salisbury stormed back and dominated the second set. With
Prudence Marco on the serve, SU netted the first five points and never let the Panthers get closer than three the rest of the way.
Kiley McTaggart blasted seven kills during the set, and
Emma Quandt rose up for a solo block to salt it away and even the match, 25-15.
The teams boxed evenly through the third set, matching each other until the 17-17 mark. From there Middlebury caught fire and closed on an 8-0 run, with Ava Tuccio landing the kill to clinch it, 25-17.
Middlebury held the Sea Gulls at an arm's length through the bulk of the fourth set and found a new gear late, finishing the job on an 11-3 run. McCormick's final kill booked it for the Panthers, 25-14.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart paced the Sea Gull attack with 14 kills, plus a career high-tying seven digs.
- Gwen Eustace powered down 13 kills with a .476 swing percentage to go along with four blocks (two solo).
- Emma Quandt landed a career-high 12 kills (.300) in her final career match.
- Julie Altieri posted her 19th double-double of the season with 36 assists and 17 digs. Her 1,048 assists are ninth-most in single-season SU history.
- Grace Rail chased down a team-leading 20 digs. She finished her SU career with 1,738 digs, seventh-most in program history.
- Prudence Marco chipped in with 12 digs.
- Salisbury hit .163 as a team with 45 kills against 21 errors, swinging .216 in the second set.
The Sea Gulls finish the season with a 24-7 record, matching their most wins in one campaign since 2015, and a third consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 201 conference championships, and have produced 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.
