SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team seized control early and muscled its way to a sweep of its Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) rivals, taking down the Mary Washington Eagles 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 29-27) on Friday night at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.
Leading 7-5 early in the first set, an Eagle service error opened the door for four straight Sea Gull points to boost the lead to 11-5. UMW regrouped and cut the margin to 13-12, but
Kiley McTaggart landed a kill that sparked an 8-0 Salisbury flourish. McTaggart and
Gwen Eustace combined for six points during the run that made it 21-12. SU closed it out soon after at 25-16 on a Eustace kill and Eagle attack error.
The second set featured runs by both sides, with the Eagles erasing a 12-7 deficit with a 7-1 push and taking a 14-13 lead on a kill by Libby Potter. The Sea Gulls responded with the next four, including a pair of aces from
Grace Rail, to go back up 17-14. UMW tied it 17-17 with the next three but SU notched four more in a row to go up 21-17.
Mary Washington scored six of the next seven, going up 23-22 after an Avery Gallahue kill. Salisbury tightened up from there, though, forcing UMW to commit two straight errors to get it to set point, and
Emma Quandt and
Julie Altieri teamed up for a block to salt it away, 25-23.
The Eagles came out firing in the third set, taking an 8-4 lead before the Sea Gulls went on a five-point run to take a 9-8 lead. Salisbury controlled the middle of the fixture and pushed its lead as high as five points, including a 20-15 margin after kill by
Jackie Mitchell. Undaunted, UMW inched closer and drew even at 23-23 before a
Natalie Uibel kill set SU up for match point.
After fighting off the point, Mary Washington set itself up with three straight set points, which the Sea Gulls fought off each time. Mitchell brought SU even at 27-27 with a strike and provided another hammer shot to get it back to match point. Altieri handled the rest with a service ace, putting it in the books at 29-27.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart landed a team-leading 14 kills on a .414 swing percentage.
- Jackie Mitchell tagged her first double-double of the season and 11th of her career, landing 13 kills (.400) and chasing down 17 digs.
- Gwen Eustace swung .538 en route to eight kills, while Natalie Uibel added seven kills with 12 digs.
- Julie Altieri stuffed the stat sheet with 37 assists, nine digs, three service aces, three blocks, and two kills. Altieri's fourth assist of the match gave her 1,000 for her Sea Gull career.
- Grace Rail posted a team-leading 22 digs to go along with seven assists and three aces.
- The Sea Gulls swung .246 as a team, landing 48 kills against just 15 errors. SU dealt 10 service aces, eclipsing double-digits in the game for the fourth time this season.
- Salisbury has now won four straight matches over Mary Washington dating back to last season when it won all three bouts, including the C2C Tournament championship match at Maggs PAC.
The Sea Gulls will cross the Chesapeake Bay for a pair of matches in St. Mary's City on Saturday afternoon. SU will battle St. Mary's (Md.) at 1 p.m. before turning around to face Hollins at 3 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.
