GLASSBORO, N.J. – The Salisbury University volleyball team swept the Brooklyn College Bulldogs 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) before seeing its winning streak end at seven matches in a 3-1 loss (31-29, 21-25, 17-25, 17-25) to the Rowan Profs, in Saturday afternoon's tri-match at Esby Gym.
MATCH ONE
The Sea Gulls jumped out to a 7-2 first-set lead behind three early
Sophia Tapia kills and led by as many as five, but the Bulldogs pulled even at 16-16 and eventually went in front at 20-19. Salisbury regrouped and closed on a 6-1 run, and a Meadow Andrews attack error iced it for SU, 25-21.
The second set was tied five times early before Salisbury, leading 8-7, went on a 5-0 run, with
Amanda Meschi dealing three straight aces to open a 13-7 cushion. BC eventually closed the gap to 20-17, but the Sea Gulls rattled off five of the final six points, with
Julie Altieri feeding Tapia for the kill to clinch at 25-18.
SU built a 10-7 lead early in the third, then after Brooklyn netted four straight to take an 11-10 lead, the Sea Gulls peeled off a 9-1 run to flip the margin to 21-13. The Gulls coasted from there, with successive kills from
Sadie Wilkinson,
Elizabeth Gordon, and Wilkinson again putting the match on ice, 25-17.
Game Notes
- Sophia Tapia led the Sea Gulls up front with 12 kills against two errors for a .500 attack rate, adding three blocks (one solo) and two digs.
- Elizabeth Gordon was just as efficient, swinging .500 to put down 10 kills against one error to go along with six digs, an ace, and a solo block.
- Amanda Meschi and Sidney Morgan each accounted for seven kills and six digs.
- Julie Altieri quarterbacked the offense to the tune of 40 assists, adding 10 digs and two blocks for her eighth double-double of the season (57th career).
- Sophia Blaufuss paced the defense with a team-high 15 digs.
- Salisbury outhit the Bulldogs .154 to .039 and won the ace battle, 6-1, with Meschi and Elizabeth Villegas combining for five of SU's six aces.
MATCH TWO
The opening set was a marathon, tied 12 times with five lead changes. The Sea Gulls held the edge for most of the set, going up 24-22 on a
Sophia Tapia kill. The Profs pulled even at 24-24, and from there each side fought off multiple set points, with SU squandering two chances to win and RU three. Then, down 29-28, Salisbury was gifted a service error and
Amanda Meschi put the Gulls back up with a kill, and a Rowan attack error finally won it for the visitors, 31-29.
The Profs locked in from there, though, building on a 12-10 lead with a 7-2 extended run to go up 19-12. Salisbury answered with an 8-1 swing, drawing even as
Sophia Blaufuss fed
Elizabeth Gordon for the kill to tie it at 20-20. RU notched the next three and five-of-six, putting it away 25-21 on an SU attack error.
Salisbury led 15-13 midway through the third before Rowan reeled off 10 straight points, starting with a kill from Abigail Bivona, to race ahead 23-15. SU could only manage a couple more points before RU closed it out on a service error, 25-17.
The Profs scored five of the first six points of the fourth set and eventually pushed the lead to 14-6. Salisbury chipped away to get within 20-16, but Rowan again closed with a long run, this time 5-1 with an SU error booking it 25-17 for the home side's 17th straight win.
Game Notes
- Amanda Meschi led the Sea Gulls with 14 kills and added 15 digs for her sixth double-double of the year.
- Ellie Mitchell came off the bench to put down 10 kills against one error for a .409 swing rate. She also added three digs.
- Sidney Morgan, Sophia Tapia, and Elizabeth Gordon each added seven kills, with Morgan and Gordon each chipping in four digs, while Tapia and Gordon each posted a solo block and a block assist.
- Julie Altieri dished out 41 assists while adding eight kills, five digs, and two aces. Altieri sits at 998 career digs, two shy of the 1,000-dig plateau.
- Sophia Blaufuss corralled a career-high 30 digs and served up nine assists, while Elizabeth Villegas added 11 digs.
- Salisbury outhit Rowan .223 to .213, but the Profs benefited to a 14-3 margin on service aces. SU committed 16 service errors against just six for RU.
After playing 15 consecutive matches away from home, the Sea Gulls will return to the Maggs Physical Activities Center for the first time in over six weeks on Wednesday to face Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) archrival 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, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 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.
