OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team won its fourth straight match to open the season, sweeping the Arcadia Knights, 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-18) in its opening fixture of the Stevenson University Quad on Friday night at Owings Mills Gymnasium.
The teams boxed evenly through the beginning of the first set before the Sea Gulls, leading 13-12, began to pull away.
Jackie Mitchell landed a kill to start a 7-1 run, capped by a block by
Kiley McTaggart and
Emma Quandt to boost the lead to 20-13. The Knights rebounded with eight of the next 10 to get back within 22-21, but
Gwen Eustace and
Natalie Uibel each landed kills and teamed up for a stuff to put the opening set on ice, 25-21.
After another tight opening to the second set, SU went on a 6-0 flourish to seize control at 17-10. AU got one back but the Sea Gulls kept the floodgates open with five more in a row to go up 22-11, putting the frame away 25-14 moments later on a strike from Eustace.
Down 12-9 in the early stages of the third set, Quandt blasted a kill to spark an eight-point charge, swinging the margin to SU at 17-12. The Knights could never get closer than four points the rest of the way, and
Julie Altieri set up Quandt for one final hammer to seal the deal on the game and the match, 25-18.
GAME NOTES
- Natalie Uibel led all attackers with 13 kills. She also chased down six digs.
- Kiley McTaggart powered down 10 kills and notched four block assists.
- Emma Quandt landed seven kills on a .545 hitting percentage, while Jackie Mitchell swung .556 and racked up six kills.
- Julie Altieri registered her third double-double in the first four matches with 31 assists and 10 digs.
- Sophia Blaufuss clocked in with seven digs, while Grace Rail, Prudence Marco, and Kayla Pedersen each added six.
- The Sea Gulls swung .333 as a team, landing 44 kills in total.
- SU blocked the Knights seven times and held AU to a .116 team hitting percentage.
- Salisbury landed seven service aces, with Blaufuss and Pedersen combining for five.
The Sea Gulls will continue play at the Stevenson Quad with a pair of matches on Saturday. SU will joust with Gallaudet at 12 p.m. before capping the weekend against hosts Stevenson at 4 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.
