SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team made its Homecoming Saturday at Maggs Physical Activities Center one to remember, starting the afternoon with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-8, 25-20) sweep of the Regent Royals and then ending the undefeated run of the 19th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Marlins, 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19).
MATCH ONE
The Royals took advantage of a slow start for the Sea Gulls, building a first-set lead as large as six points and nursing a 19-14 advantage late. That's when
Alyssa DeWaal landed back-to-back kills to spark a 5-0 run and draw SU even 19-19. The teams danced to the finish line, then with the score tied 23-23,
Gwen Eustace powered down a kill and RU's Alaina Braun-Duin committed an attack error to secure the frame for the home side, 25-23.
Salisbury rode the momentum of the comeback to a dominant set two. An early eight-point push set up what became an 18-2 extended run, and
Sophia Tapia soon after put it away with a kill and a service ace, finishing it off at 25-8.
The third set proved another tight affair before SU pulled away late. Leading 17-15, a kill from Eustace sparked a 5-1 string to build the margin to 22-16. The Royals couldn't muster another rally of their own, and an RU service error delivered the Sea Gulls a 25-20 win and a sweep of their new Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) rivals.
Game Notes
- Gwen Eustace hammered down a team-leading 13 kills against one error, good for a .600 swing percentage. She also shined defensively with five blocks (two solo).
- Alyssa DeWaal landed eight kills, while Sadie Wilkinson added five.
- Julie Altieri posted strong all-around numbers, dishing out 27 assists with nine digs and seven kills, plus four service aces and two block assists.
- Elizabeth Villegas ran down 17 digs, while Prudence Marco posted nine.
- The Sea Gulls hit .254 as a team and held the Royals to a .070 clip.
- SU won the service ace battle 8-3 and outblocked RU 10-5.
MATCH TWO
After spotting the Marlins the first two points of the opening set, the Sea Gulls answered with the next six as
Gwen Eustace got it going with her first kill. SU opened up a 14-7 lead before VWU came roaring back with five straight to get within 14-12, eventually sitting one back at 16-15. Clinging to a 20-19 lead later,
Kiley McTaggart took over at the tape, accounting for four straight points on three kills and a tandem block with
Sophia Tapia to set up set point at 24-19. The Marlins snagged three in a row but gave it away on a service error, allowing Salisbury to take the first frame 25-22.
Salisbury continued its surge early in set two with six of the first seven points. VWU settled down from there, though, chipping away and eventually seizing control 18-16. Kills from McTaggart and Eustace brought SU even at 18-18, then after falling back 20-19, the Gulls snagged three in a row to go back up 22-20. After ceding one, Tapia brought a hammer down and then teamed up with McTaggart to stuff Marlins All-American Hannah Smith at the net to make it 24-21. Smith answered with a kill but McTaggart matched her with her own, salting it away for SU 25-22.
The Marlins found their rhythm in the third set, building an early 10-3 advantage and never looking back. SU never got closer than three the rest of the way, and VWU closed on a 5-2 string with Breana Brooks' kill clinching the frame at 25-18.
Set four featured extended runs by both teams, starting with Salisbury, who went up 6-2 on the back of three consecutive Eustace blasts. VWU punched back, flipping a 10-5 hole into a 16-14 lead in short order but keeping SU in it with four service errors to end four straight possessions. Needing stop,
Julie Altieri rose to the occasion, stuffing Madi Schmidt for a solo block. Eustace then swatted back a Smith attempt to get the Gulls even, 16-16.
VWU picked up the next one on a service error, but an attack error opened the door for SU, who waltzed through with kills from Tapia and Altieri and an error from Smith to build a 20-17 lead. The sides traded the next three points, then another Marlin service error gave it back to Salisbury with a 22-19 cushion. After an extended rally that saw the Sea Gulls withstand five VWU attacks, including four from Smith,
Amanda Meschi found open floor deep in the backcourt to make it 23-19. McTaggart's next kill gave SU match point, and Smith misfired on a cut shot, securing the set 25-19 and sealing the deal on Salisbury's biggest win of the season.
Game Notes
- Gwen Eustace could not be stopped up front, powering down 18 kills against just two errors at a .615 clip, plus four more blocks (two solo). Over the two matches for the day, Eustace hit .609 (31 kills, three errors, 46 attacks), boosting her Division III-best swing rate to .499.
- Eustace finished the afternoon with 972 career kills, just 28 away from reaching 1,000 as a Sea Gull.
- Kiley McTaggart clocked in with 15 kills, nine digs, six blocks (one solo), and three service aces.
- Alyssa DeWaal provided seven kills, while Sophia Tapia went up for five kills, six blocks (one solo), and two aces.
- Julie Altieri dished out 42 assists with five digs.
- Elizabeth Villegas put up her best defensive numbers in an SU uniform with 22 digs, as well as two aces.
- Sophia Blaufuss chased down 14 digs and recorded a rare kill from the backcourt.
- Salisbury hit .266 as a team and limited the Marlins' to their second-lowest hitting percentage of the season at .157.
- SU won the blocking battle 12-5, tying its second-most stuffs in a game this season.
- Virginia Wesleyan had won 20 straight matches to open the year and was one of the last three undefeated teams in Division III. The loss to Salisbury leaves just No. 1 La Verne and No. 2 East Texas Baptist without a blemish in 2025.
The Sea Gulls will wrap up their weekend quad match against in-state rival Stevenson on Sunday morning. First serve from Maggs PAC is set for 11 a.m.
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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 205 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
