Salisbury University Sea Gulls women’s volleyball dropped a 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 18-25) match to the Christopher Newport Captains on Oct. 30 at the Freeman Center in Newport News, Virginia. Salisbury won the opening set 25-23 before Christopher Newport captured the final three sets, 25-21, 25-22, and 25-18, in a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference match.
Salisbury University entered the match with a 14-8 record, while Christopher Newport came in at 19-7. The Sea Gulls recorded 13 aces, their most in a match this season, but the Captains held advantages in hitting percentage, .238 to .114, and blocks, 9-3.
Salisbury University Sea Gulls Take the Opening Set
Salisbury fell behind 3-0 early in the first set before rallying with a 6-0 run, capped by a Sophia Tapia service ace, to take a 7-4 lead. Julie Altieri added two aces later as the Sea Gulls extended their advantage to 10-5.
Christopher Newport rallied to a 16-14 lead, but Salisbury tied the set at 16-16. Following five more ties, Kiley McTaggart’s kill made it 21-21. Ellie Mitchell then put away a kill, and Kyra Douglass followed with an ace for a 23-21 lead before Tapia finished the set with a kill, closing out a 25-23 victory.
Christopher Newport Captains Win the Final Three Sets
The Captains opened the second set with six consecutive points to build a 10-4 lead. Later, Christopher Newport scored eight straight points to push ahead 20-8. Salisbury fought off seven set points and pulled within 24-21 after an Altieri ace, but Avery Hanly ended the set with a kill as the Captains tied the match by winning 25-21.
The third set featured eight ties and five lead changes. Salisbury held an 18-17 lead before Samantha Dorn’s kill sparked a three-point run, putting Christopher Newport ahead 20-18. The Sea Gulls closed to 21-20, but the Captains scored four of the final six points, winning 25-22 on a block by Hanly and Simara Alexander.
In the fourth set, the teams were tied 11-11 before Christopher Newport scored five straight points to lead 16-11. Salisbury rallied with three consecutive points to narrow the gap to 16-14, but the Captains closed the match with a 6-2 run, finishing 25-18 on an ace from Hanly.
Elizabeth Gordon Leads Salisbury University Attack
Elizabeth Gordon led Salisbury with 14 kills while hitting .379 and adding one solo block. Sophia Tapia recorded 10 kills at a .471 hitting percentage, along with four aces, four digs, and one solo block. Ellie Mitchell also contributed 10 kills, and Sadie Wilkinson added six.
Julie Altieri finished with 37 assists, 14 digs, four aces, and two kills for her 10th double-double of the season and 59th of her career. Sophia Blaufuss led the defense with 18 digs and three assists, while Elizabeth Villegas had 11 digs.
Salisbury was scheduled to face Washington & Lee on Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. at the Freeman Center and Regent on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Salisbury University’s 13 aces helped the Sea Gulls win the opening set, but Christopher Newport controlled the match with stronger hitting and a 9-3 blocking advantage. Gordon, Tapia, and Mitchell led the attack, while Altieri contributed 37 assists, 14 digs, four aces, and two kills.
Source: Original report
