SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University volleyball team made it two wins in a row to open the 2026 season, sweeping the Drew Rangers 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-12) on Friday afternoon at Maggs Physical Activities Center to open the fourth annual Margie Knight Classic.
The Sea Gulls never trailed in the opening set, using back-to-back
Elizabeth Villegas service aces to build an early 8-3 cushion. The Sea Gulls blew it open from there with a 6-0 run – highlighted by two kills from
Amanda Meschi kills and a
Julie Altieri ace – to balloon the lead to 19-8, then cruised to a 25-14 finish on a Drew attack error.
Salisbury flexed its muscle early in set two, tilting an early 2-2 tie into a blowout with a 7-0 run to make it 9-2;
Kiley McTaggart accounted for two kills and two aces during the run alone. Drew never got closer than seven the rest of the way, and an Altieri setter-dump kill closed out the set, 25-12.
The third set followed a similar script as SU methodically pulled away behind kills from McTaggart,
Sophia Tapia, and Meschi to build a 17-8 cushion. The Rangers answered with three straight to trim the deficit to 19-11, but the Sea Gulls regrouped with a 4-0 spurt, capped by a McTaggart ace, to push it back to 23-11. Meschi's kill, dug out by Villegas and assisted by Altieri, sealed the sweep, 25-12.
GAME NOTES
- Kiley McTaggart and Amanda Meschi shared the team lead with nine kills apiece, with McTaggart also piling up four service aces and four block assists.
- Sophia Tapia was a portrait of efficiency, hitting .571 (4 kills, no errors) to go with five blocks (two solo).
- Julie Altieri ran the offense with 24 assists and didn't miss on the attack, adding three kills without an error (.600), plus four digs.
- Elizabeth Villegas paced the defense with a match-high 18 digs. Her final one of the match to set up SU's clinching point was the 1,000th of her collegiate career.
- Salisbury hit .292 as a team and held Drew to a -.110 clip.
- The Sea Gulls won the ace battle 12-1 and outblocked Drew 9-3.
- SU improves to 9-1 all-time in the Margie Knight Classic, which began in 2023.
The Sea Gulls close out the Margie Knight Classic on Saturday, taking on Muskingum at 11 a.m. and Lebanon Valley at approximately 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.
