ASHLAND, Va. – The Salisbury University volleyball team split its final two matches to cap the Randolph-Macon Tournament, dropping the opener against the Washington & Lee Generals 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-17) but rebounding to best the hosting R-MC Yellow Jackets 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 19-25, 25-17) on Saturday afternoon at Crenshaw Gymnasium.
MATCH ONE
The Generals put the Sea Gulls behind the eight-ball early, scoring the first five points of set one. SU regrouped and went on a 5-2 run to get within 7-5 on a kill from
Natalie Uibel. The frame stayed tight until the 13-10 mark, at which point W&L landed nine of the next 11 points to surge ahead 22-12, closing it out 25-15 moments later on a service error.
The teams traded punches as the second set began but the Generals used a four-point flourish to move ahead 7-2. The Sea Gulls again found their footing and kept within three or four points for most of the fixture, with
Julie Altieri registering a kill that made it 16-12. W&L pulled away from there, though, locking down a 25-17 win on another service error.
The Sea Gulls netted the first two points of the third set on a
Kiley McTaggart kill and W&L attack error, but the Generals held the line and went on an 11-2 run to flip a 3-2 hole into a 13-5 lead. SU narrowed the gap to four points twice but W&L closed with four of the last five, salting away the match on a kill from Grace Mitchener, 25-17.
Game Notes
- Gwen Eustace led the Sea Gull attack with seven kills and picked up four block assists.
- Natalie Uibel and Emma Quandt landed six kills apiece.
- Julie Altieri notched her fifth double-double of the year with 24 assists and 11 digs, plus three kills.
- Grace Rail dug out 19 attacks, the most of four SU players with double-digit digs including Uibel (17), Altieri (11), and Kayla Pedersen (10).
- Salisbury swung .051 as a team with 30 kills against 23 errors.
MATCH TWO
Trailing 5-4 early in the first set, the Sea Gulls scored the next five points to ignite a 13-2 run, with
Sophia Blaufuss landing a service ace to cap the push that put SU ahead 17-7. The Yellow Jackets responded with four of the next five and later put together a 9-2 counterpunch that cut the deficit to 23-21. Salisbury held the line from there, though, as
Emma Quandt and
Kiley McTaggart teamed up for a block and
Jackie Mitchell dealt an ace to put it away 25-21.
The second set saw similar runs by both sides. R-MC broke a 5-5 draw with a 10-2 surge to go up 15-7 and let by margins of 20-13 and 22-17 during the approach to 25. The Sea Gulls then roared back with seven of the next eight, tying it at 23-23 on a kill from
Sophia Tapia and moving to set point on a strike by
Gwen Eustace. After a service error kept the Yellow Jackets in the fight, Eustace powered down another kill and then teamed up with
Julie Altieri for a stuff, clinching the fixture at 26-24.
Set three was similarly streaky, with both sides putting together long runs that ultimately kept them close to one another throughout. Trailing 18-17, the Yellow Jackets had the last laugh with an 8-1 push to the finish, using an ace by Kaitlyn Kaplan to get on the board with a 25-19 set win.
Salisbury jumped ahead 5-1 early in the fourth set and later went on a 7-1 flourish, boosting the advantage to 14-6 on an Altieri ace. R-MC got back within four points on multiple occasions but no closer, and the Sea Gulls finished the job by netting the final three points on a Quandt kill, attack error, and
Natalie Uibel strike to put it in the books, 25-17.
Game Notes
- Gwen Eustace brought the hammer down to the tune of 14 kills on a .600 swing percentage to pace the Sea Gull attack.
- Natalie Uibel registered 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs for her second double-double of the season.
- Kiley McTaggart recorded eight kills, while Jackie Mitchell added seven.
- Emma Quandt stuffed the stat sheet with seven kills and six blocks (one solo).
- Julie Altieri made it a second double-double on the day and sixth of the campaign with 38 assists and 10 digs to go along with four kills and four of SU's nine service aces.
- Grace Rail notched 16 digs with three assists.
- Salisbury swung .196 as a team to the tune of 52 kills against 25 errors.
- SU outblocked the Yellow Jackets 9-5 in the contest.
The Sea Gulls return home to Maggs Physical Activities Center on Friday evening at 6 p.m. for a pivotal showdown against Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) rival Mary Washington. SU won all three matches against the Eagles in 2023, including a five-set thriller in the C2C Tournament championship.
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.
