SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Salisbury University volleyball team closed out its first month of the season with a pair of wins at the Swarthmore Invitational, knocking off a previously undefeated DeSales Bulldogs side, 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 25-12), before sweeping the Widener Pride, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-15), on Saturday afternoon at Tarble Pavilion.
MATCH ONE
After falling behind 6-2 to begin the opening set, the Sea Gulls gradually gained an edge and built a pair of late four-point leads at 21-17 and 23-19. The Bulldogs hung tough with four of the next five to cut it to 24-23,
Ellie Mitchell settled things with a kill to close it out for SU, 25-23.
The second set was the most hotly contested of the match, tied 10 times through the midpoint. Salisbury finally seized control with two separate four-point bursts, the first pushing the lead to 18-14, the second stretching it to 23-17. DU could never get closer than four from there, and a
Kiley McTaggart kill gave the Gulls a commanding two-set lead, 25-20.
DeSales grabbed momentum in set three, eventually flipping a 10-8 hole into an 18-15 lead, but SU fought back to tie it at 18-18 and again at 21-21. The Bulldogs broke through with a 4-1 closing run, though, with Haylee Arnold launching the kill to salvage it at 25-22.
Fueled by the setback, the Sea Gulls left no doubt in set four. Up 7-5, SU erupted for 13 of the next 14 points, with
Amanda Meschi and
Elizabeth Gordon teaming up for a block that ballooned the lead to 20-6. The Gulls closed out the rout from there, with Mitchell blasting one final kill to put it in the books, 25-12.
Game Notes
- Amanda Meschi led the Sea Gulls from all angles of the court with 14 kills and added 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
- Kiley McTaggart added 11 kills with seven digs
- Sophia Tapia posted nine kills (.286) clip to go with a team-high five blocks (one solo) and five digs.
- Elizabeth Gordon and Ellie Mitchell each chipped in seven kills of their own, with Mitchell running down eight digs.
- Julie Altieri orchestrated the SU attack with 40 assists, plus 15 digs for her season's fourth double-double (53 career). She also landed a team-leading four service aces.
- Sophia Blaufuss paced the back line with a team-high 17 digs, while Elizabeth Villegas ran down 11.
- Salisbury out-hit DeSales .195 to .152, holding the Bulldogs to a .026 rate in the decisive fourth set.
- The Gulls landed nine aces while surrendering just two.
- The loss was DU's first of the season after starting 11-0.
MATCH TWO
The Pride gained the inside track early in the opening set, going up 5-1 and maintaining a 16-12 advantage late. The Sea Gulls battled back from there, drawing even at 17-17 before the teams traded paint toward the finish line. Tied 21-21, SU notched four of the last five points and took the opener on a WU attack error, 25-22.
Salisbury again played from behind early in set two, falling behind 13-8 before locking in and drawing even at 15-15. The teams matched each other blow-for-blow until the 22-22 mark, when
Kiley McTaggart and
Sophia Tapia landed back-to-back strikes and Tapia rose up for a solo stuff to lock it down 25-22.
SU finally took control from the start in the third, turning a 4-3 deficit on its head with a 9-2 run to go up 12-6. WU could never get closer than five from there, and the Sea Gulls scored the final four points to win it 25-15, with Tapia accounting for the final three on her own with two kills and a block.
Game Notes
- Kiley McTaggart landed a team-leading 15 kills (.300) while corralling nine digs.
- Sophia Tapia was nearly unstoppable at the tape, powering down 11 kills against just one error for a .526 attack rate. She also registered a team-leading four blocks (two solo).
- Ellie Mitchell chipped in six kills with eight digs off the bench.
- Julie Altieri dished out 28 assists with nine digs and also converted five kills at a .625 clip. Altieri finished the day with 3,100 career assists, surpassing Carley Todd '13 (3,086) for third in program history.
- Sophia Blaufuss paced the defense with a team-high 15 digs to go along with five assists.
- Salisbury hit .234 as a team and held the Pride to a .108 pace.
Closing the first month of the season at 9-4, the Sea Gulls ring in October with the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Invitational in Fredericksburg, Va. SU will battle hosts Mary Washington on Friday at 4:30 p.m., closing out against UC Santa Cruz on Saturday at 1:30 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.
