SALISBURY, Md. – In a match that seesawed back-and-forth throughout, the Salisbury University volleyball team seized momentum last and outboxed the Stevenson Mustangs 3-2 (16-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-14, 15-12) on Sunday morning at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.
The Mustangs pounced on the home side early in set one, going on an extended 13-3 run to build a 16-8 advantage. The Sea Gulls could never find their footing, and Stevenson wrapped up a 25-16 win on a kill by Giulia Viglietta.
Salisbury stormed back early in set two, racing out to a 6-1 lead on a run punctuated by a
Sophia Tapia service ace. Stevenson settled down from there and stayed close, but at the 16-12 mark
Kiley McTaggart blasted a kill to spark another 6-1 push and make it 22-13. It was McTaggart who eventually salted it away with another kill, drawing the Sea Gulls even at a 25-18 margin.
Stevenson answered blazing start to set three, netting 10 of the first 11 points and eventually building a 19-6 cushion. Salisbury cut heavily into the deficit with a 9-1 string, but it was too little, too late, and Emma Shaffer eventually brought the hammer down to ice it, 25-19.
Set four saw the Sea Gulls landing an early haymaker as
Amanda Meschi powered one down to jumpstart a six-point flourish to boost a 5-4 lead to 11-4. The Mustangs never got closer than six the rest of the way, and
Alyssa DeWaal took proceedings into a fifth set with a kill to win it, 25-14.
With Salisbury up 4-3 early in the deciding set, Viglietta's kill set the Mustangs up for four in a row to go ahead 7-4. The Sea Gulls chipped away and eventually drew even at 9-9 on a McTaggart hammer, and the teams danced evenly to the 12-12 mark. McTaggart put Salisbury back on top with a kill, then Meschi rose to the occasion with back-to-back strikes, winning the fixture and the match for the home side, 15-12.
GAME NOTES
- Amanda Meschi posted the best numbers of her young career, notching 14 kills on a .429 swing percentage with five digs. The freshman had only recorded five kills and three digs over nine sets headed into the match.
- Kiley McTaggart led the Sea Gulls with 17 kills to go along with seven digs and two service aces.
- Gwen Eustace hammered down 13 kills (.360) with three blocks (one solo), while Alyssa DeWaal chipped in with nine kills (.318) and five digs.
- Sophia Tapia dealt three of Salisbury's 10 aces on the day and added seven kills.
- Julie Altieri reached the 50-assist plateau for the third time in her career, dishing out 50 assists and running down 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the year (43 career).
- Elizabeth Villegas got low for 17 digs, while Sophia Blaufuss added nine.
- Salisbury hit .253 as a team, including .429 in a dominant set four and .355 in the decisive fifth.
The Sea Gulls will close out October with six straight matches away from home, starting with the C2C Invitational next weekend in Newport News, Va. SU will battle UC Santa Cruz on Friday at 3:30 p.m., then on Saturday it's a rematch with UCSC at 12 p.m. and a 6 p.m. showdown against hosts Christopher Newport.
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.
