NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Salisbury University volleyball team opened an important weekend with a quick victory, sweeping the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-18) as part of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Freeman Center.
The first set saw neither team able to go up by more than three points through the early stages. Then with the score tied 18-18, a Slug service error opened the door for four straight Sea Gull points, with
Kiley McTaggart going in for a kill and a block assist to help build a 22-18 lead. UCSC closed the gap with the next three, but McTaggart again took over from there, posting a pair of kills and teaming up with
Gwen Eustace for the block that clinched it, 25-22.
Set two opened in similar fashion with neither side able to put much distance between their foe. Much like the first, SU turned it on late, flipping a 17-17 tie into a 22-17 lead in short order with Eustace and
Amanda Meschi finding the floor for kills. After getting it to set point at 24-19, the Banana Slugs rallied for the next four to get within 24-23, but a service error allowed the Sea Gulls to escape at 25-23.
In the third, Salisbury established an earlier foothold, taking a 10-9 lead and going on a 6-2 string to make it 16-11. UCSC countered with four of the next five to whittle it to 17-15, but
Alyssa DeWaal powered down a kill to spark a four-point string and eventually an 8-3 closing run. A Slug ballhandling error eventually sealed the deal for SU, 25-18.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart led all attackers with 12 kills, as well as three block assists and two service aces.
- Sophia Tapia chipped in with six kills at a .500 clip, while Alyssa DeWaal added four.
- Gwen Eustace went for four kills and five blocks (one solo). She will enter Saturday's pair of matches with 989 career kills, just 11 shy of the thousand mark.
- Julie Altieri posted her 12th double-double of the season (44 career) with 20 assists and 11 digs.
- Elizabeth Villegas chased down 10 digs, while Sophia Blaufuss added six.
- The Sea Gulls hit .191 as a team while holding the Banana Slugs to a .104 swing rate.
- Salisbury has now won 13 of its last 15 matches since Sept. 13 and is one victory shy of reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year.
The Sea Gulls will hit the floor twice at the C2C Invitational on Saturday, facing UC Santa Cruz in a 12 p.m. rematch before squaring off with hosts Christopher Newport at 6 p.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.
