SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a gritty 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-21) sweep of the Stockton Ospreys on Tuesday afternoon at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.
The Sea Gulls built its biggest cushion in a back-and-forth opening set at 22-17 by riding a
Kiley McTaggart kill that opened a 5-1 run, but Stockton answered with five straight points to tie it at 22-22. The teams traded the next two, then a kill from
Ellie Mitchell and an Osprey error finally gave Salisbury the opener, 25-23.
Salisbury opened the second set on a 5-0 run and never looked back, later breaking it open for good with a seven-point surge – fueled by a pair of
Amanda Meschi service aces – to balloon the lead to 16-8. Stockton never got closer than eight the rest of the way, and
Julie Altieri closed it out at 25-14 with a kill.
The third set proved another tight affair, with the two sides tying the score five times before the Gulls used an 8-3 stretch to open a 20-15 cushion. The Ospreys would not go quietly, though, scoring five of the next six to pull within 21-20, but the Sea Gulls closed on a 4-1 spurt, sealing the sweep on a Meschi kill, 25-21.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart paced Salisbury with 11 kills, adding eight digs, three block assists, and two service aces to her final line.
- Ellie Mitchell and Amanda Meschi each finished with seven kills, with Mitchell posting a team-best .385 hitting clip in her collegiate debut.
- Sophia Tapia chipped in five kills (.364) and paced the team with seven blocks (two solo).
- Julie Altieri ran the offense with 25 assists, adding 16 digs, three kills, and an ace. Altieri's assist-dig line gives her 50 double-doubles for her career.
- Elizabeth Villegas paced the defense with 19 digs, while Sophia Blaufuss chased down eight.
- Salisbury hit .164 as a team, highlighted by a .310 mark in the second set, and held the Ospreys to an .022 clip.
- The Sea Gulls won the ace battle 8-2 and outblocked Stockton 10-3.
The Sea Gulls continue a four-match homestand with the annual Margie Knight Classic on Friday against Drew at 4 p.m., followed by two more matches to close out the weekend tournament on Saturday against Muskingum at 11 a.m. and Lebanon Valley at 5 p.m inside Maggs Gym.
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.
