SALISBURY, Md. – In the first-ever on-court matchup between the two storied programs, the Salisbury University volleyball team muscled its way through the Tufts Jumbos 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-16, 26-24) on Friday evening at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.
The Jumbos established a rhythm early in the first set, scoring the first four points and never letting SU within two the rest of the way. Emma Norman's set-clinching kill capped an 8-1 flourish to put Tufts on top, 25-13.
The Sea Gulls stormed back in set two, opening on a 7-1 run with
Kiley McTaggart landing three early kills. Two Jumbo points later, SU got the serve back and McTaggart quarterbacked a six-point string, landing a pair of aces to help push the margin to 13-3. Tufts settled down from there but Salisbury cruised to a 25-16 margin, riding back-to-back
Alyssa DeWaal kills to tie the match.
After falling behind 5-1 to open set three, the Sea Gulls again put the serve in McTaggart's hands and surged ahead 8-5, with another ace capping the seven-point run. The teams matched each other punch-for-punch until the 16-13 mark, at which point
Maura Fay bookended both four- and three-point flourishes to make it 23-15. McTaggart and
Gwen Eustace soon after salted it away 25-16 with back-to-back markers.
The two sides continued landing haymakers throughout the fourth set, but Salisbury seized control with an 8-1 run to take a 17-11 lead. SU kept the Jumbos at an arm's length from there, setting up match point at 24-21. Tufts rallied for three straight, though, using a Hazel Nelson-Maiwenn Kamdje tandem block to draw even at 24-24. McTaggart answered with a strike, then
Prudence Marco dropped a service ace right in the middle of the court to book it for the home side, 26-24.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart stuffed the stat sheet by leading the team with 16 kills (.325) and 11 service aces. She also set a new career high with eight digs.
- Maura Fay powered down 12 kills, while Gwen Eustace added 11 at a .364 clip.
- Julie Altieri posted her second straight double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs.
- Prudence Marco ran down a team-best 22 digs, while Annabelle Weis chipped in eight.
- The Sea Gulls swung .203 as a team for the match, including .344 and .435 marks in the second and third sets, respectively.
- SU served up a season-high 11 aces, with McTaggart, Elizabeth Villegas, and Marco combining for nine.
- The matchup was the first for Salisbury and Tufts on the volleyball court. Since 2021, the programs have squared off NCAA Tournament play in women's lacrosse, men's lacrosse, and softball.
The Sea Gulls will open a Saturday home tri-match with a rematch against Tufts at 11 a.m., followed by a bout with Gettysburg 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 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.
