Salisbury W-VB Rallies From 2-0 Down, Advances In CAC Tourney
SALISBURY, Md. – On Halloween night at Maggs PAC, it looked 
like the Salisbury women’s volleyball team was going to get tricked in their Capital Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball 1st Round match against the York (PA) Spartans.
Down two sets to none and getting outplayed, the Salisbury Sea Gulls rallied to win the next three sets and on Senior DS Amanda Rodriguez’s service ace on the back-line, would win the decisive fifth set and the match, three sets to two (20-25; 16-25; 25-19; 25-19; 15-6).
Sea Gulls Junior OH Nicole Venturelli overcame a season-high 10 hitting errors to score 12 kills (she has now had double digits in every match this season).
Spartans Junior On Eryn Brody had a match-high 14 kills.
The first set was fairly close and on Junior MH Gianna Savarese’s kills, the Sea Gulls only trailed 16-13. A 3-1 mini Spartans run gave York a 20-14 lead. But the Sea Gulls didn’t back down and went on their own 4-0 run, pulling to 20-18. Using a 5-2 run to close out the first set, the Spartans took the set, 25-20, on a bad set error by Sea Gulls Sophomore S Rachel Dubbs.
York dominated the second set as they never trailed for a single point. The closest Salisbury got was 2-1 on a Spartans service error by Sophomore S Gabby Emeigh. The Spartans would win the set, 25-15, on Freshman OH Tyler William’s kill. They were now leading two sets to none.
Looking to turn the trick into a treat, the Sea Gulls went on it’s best run of the night (9-1) and on back to back service aces from Freshman DS Allison Lacella, Salisbury lead 14-8. York would out-score the Sea Gulls 11-6 and pull within a point at 20-19, before Salisbury ended on a 5-0 run to win the third set, 25-19, but the Spartans still had a two sets to one lead.
A see-saw start to the fourth set saw the score tied 6-6 before a 7-3 run by Salisbury gave them a 13-9 lead. The Sea Gulls would cruise to win the fourth set, 25-19 on Junior OPP Carley Cleland’s kill. The match was now tied at two sets all.
Both teams used a mini 2-0 run to begin the decisive fifth set to tie the score at 2-2. Salisbury used a 3-0 run to jump ahead 5-2. The Spartans last point came on an attack error by Salisbury Junior MH Kaitlyn Shea, that would make the score 11-6 Sea Gulls.
Four consecutive points and on Rodriguez’s service ace, the earlier trick turned into a treat as Salisbury won the fifth, 15-6 and stormed back to win the match, three sets to two.
The win now sets up a Capital Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball Semi-Final match on Thursday, November 2nd against the #1 seed Christopher Newport.
