2024 Volleyball Season Preview

By Will DeBoer

8/26/2024 10:00:00 AM

2023 REWIND: THE BEST NEST

Volleyball Wins C2C Tournament, 11-11-23

The 2023 Salisbury volleyball team brought a conference title back to the Maggs Physical Activities Center for the first time in 11 years, hosting and winning the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Tournament by outlasting rival Mary Washington in the championship game. The C2C crown was one of several highlights for the Sea Gulls, who secured back-to-back 21-win seasons (21-8) and appeared in their second straight NCAA Tournament. Facing match point in a first-round matchup with Williams, SU rallied to win in five sets and advance to the Round of 32 before bowing to eventual national semifinalist Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Record: 21-8 (.724)
20th consecutive winning season
Back-to-back 21-win seasons
Won 14 of final 17 games after staring season 7-5
Went combined 6-0 against league rivals Christopher Newport and Mary Washington
Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Champions
Defeated CNU 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 25-1) in semifinals
Defeated UMW 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 22-25, 25-11, 15-13) in championship
Ninth conference championship in program history (first since 2012)
NCAA Tournament Qualifier
11th appearance in program history (second straight)
One of three C2C teams to earn tournament bid (CNU, UMW)
Defeated Williams 3-2 (18-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-10) in first round
Fell to CMS 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-18) in second round
S Julie Altieri
All-C2C Second Team
C2C All-Tournament Team
MB Gwen Eustace
AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (18th All-American in SU history)
AVCA All-Region First Team
All-C2C First Team
C2C Offensive Player of the Week, 10/23
CSC Academic All-District
MB Delaney Madsen
C2C Defensive Player of the Week, 9/5
RS Kiley McTaggart
All-C2C Second Team
C2C Offensive Player of the Week, 10/2
DS/L Kayla Pedersen
C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year
DS/L Grace Rail
All-C2C First Team (second straight)
C2C Tournament MVP, C2C All-Tournament Team
Three-time C2C Defensive Player of the Week (10/16, 10/23, 10/30)
CSC Academic All-District
MB Emma Quandt
C2C All-Tournament Team
C2C Defensive Player of the Week, 10/2
CSC Academic All-District
MB Gwen Eustace
T-fourth in single-match blocks (9, 9/9/23 vs. Bowdoin)
RS Kiley McTaggart
T-second in single-match blocks (10, 10/7/23 vs. Washington & Lee)
MB Emma Quandt
T-second in single-match blocks (10, 9/30/23 vs. Mary Washington)
DS/L Grace Rail
First in single-match aces (13, 10/18/23 vs. Trinity Washington)
Surpassed 1,000 career digs (1,200 - 129 away from entering top 10)
Team
New single-match program record 27 service aces (10/18/23 vs. Trinity Washington)

THE 2024 SEA GULLS

Salisbury returns the eight players who saw the court most in 2023, including seven who played in over 100 sets. Honorable mention All-American Gwen Eustace will look to stand tall in the middle of the net, while former C2C Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-C2C First-Teamer Grace Rail will lead the way from the back. Head coach Nikki Binetti has brought in a recruiting class of nine, including eight freshmen and one junior transfer, five of whom stand 5-10 or taller.

KEY RETURNERS

S Julie Altieri | So. | Hillsborough, N.C.

MB Gwen Eustace | Jr. | Olney, Md.

DS/L Grace Rail | 5th | Seaford, N.Y.

MB/RS Emma Quandt | Sr. | Annapolis, Md.

OH Jackie Mitchell | Sr. | Rockville, Md.

RS Kiley McTaggart | So. | North Wales, Pa.

Attack
Setting
Defense

MB Gwen Eustace | Jr. | Olney, Md.

2023: 237 kills (2.26 K/S), .344 hitting percentage, 20 aces, 108 blocks (1.03 B/S)
C2C rankings: Second in B/S, third in HIT%, ninth in K/S, 10th in kills

RS Kiley McTaggart | So. | North Wales, Pa.

2023: 236 kills (2.17 K/S), .217 hitting percentage, 69 blocks (0.63 B/S)
C2C rankings: 11th in kills, 11th in K/S, 12th in HIT%, 13th in B/S
C2C rankings: Seventh in SA/S, ninth in B/S, ninth in blocks, t-10th in aces

OH Jackie Mitchell | Sr. | Rockville, Md.

2023: 248 kills (2.36 K/S), .144 hitting percentage, 22 service aces, 326 digs (3.10 D/S)
C2C rankings: Seventh in K/S, ninth in kills, 10th in digs, 10th in D/S

MB Emma Quandt | Sr. | Annapolis, Md.

2023: 176 kills (1.60 K/S), .257 hitting percentage, 94 blocks (0.85 B/S)
C2C rankings: Sixth in B/S, ninth in HIT%

OH/DS Natalie Uibel | Sr. | New Cumberland, Pa.

2023: 168 kills (1.66 K/S), 34 aces, 328 digs (3.25 D/S)
C2C rankings: Eighth in D/S, ninth in digs

S Julie Altieri | So. | Hillsborough, N.C.

2023: 694 assists (6.55 A/S), 225 digs (2.12 D/S), 87 kills (0.82 K/S)
C2C rankings: Second in assists, second in A/S

S Megan Currie | Jr. | Toms River, N.J.

2023 (Susquehanna): 82 assists (3.42 A/S), 14 digs, 24 sets

DS/L Grace Rail | 5th | Seaford, N.Y.

2023: 524 digs (5.09 D/S), 96 assists (0.93 A/S), 46 aces (0.45 SA/S)
C2C rankings: First in D/S, second in digs, 11th in SA/S

DS/L Kayla Pedersen | Sr. | Hummelstown, Pa.

2023: 171 digs (2.22 D/S), 35 assists (0.45 A/S), 29 aces (0.38 SA/S)
C2C rankings: 16th in SA/S

2024 Salisbury Volleyball Roster

We're returning a really big class and a lot of starters, so that's always a positive, and then adding nine newbies. So it's really exciting, having half-and-half, getting everyone on board, and getting ready for that opening weekend and beyond.

Nikki Binetti, Head Coach (Third Season)