Salisbury University Women’s Volleyball defeated Eastern, 25-16, 25-19, 22-25, 19-25, 15-9, on Nov. 11, 2012, at Maggs Gym to win the Sea Gulls’ first NCAA Division III regional championship. The victory advanced Salisbury to the national quarterfinals after Eastern rallied from a two-set deficit to force a deciding set.
Salisbury University Women’s Volleyball Took Control Early
Nearly 500 spectators watched the Sea Gulls claim the opening two sets. Kelly Vieira and Julie Poston teamed up for a block to secure the first set, while Carley Todd accounted for six assists and three kills in the second-set victory.
Eastern answered by winning the third and fourth sets. The Eagles took the third set, 25-22, before closing out the fourth, 25-19, to send the regional final to a fifth set.
Eastern opened the deciding set with a 3-1 lead, but Mattie Smith’s kill helped spark a 7-1 Salisbury run. The Sea Gulls later built a 12-6 advantage, and Smith recorded the championship-clinching kill for the 15-9 victory.
Carley Todd Led Salisbury’s Championship Effort
Todd recorded a triple-double with 35 assists, 15 digs and 10 kills. Ashlyn Tapley led the match with 17 kills, while Chelsea Glowacki added 11 kills and six blocks.
Salisbury entered the regional final with a 34-3 record after winning the Capital Athletic Conference title, its fifth league championship in six years. The Sea Gulls finished the 2012 season with a 37-4 record after losing to Elmhurst in straight sets in the national quarterfinals.
Todd became the first Salisbury player to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association First-Team All-American honors. Glowacki and Tapley also earned All-American recognition, giving Salisbury three All-Americans in 2012.
Margie Knight’s Final Volleyball Season
The 2012 season was Margie Knight’s final year leading Salisbury’s volleyball program. After the regional championship, Knight said, “I’m pretty speechless, which is rare. We had our backs up against the wall, and the fight we put up in that fifth set…now we’re holding the trophy and it’s just fabulous. For our program, unbelievable; for our fans, they were great and it was just a great day, I’m enjoying the moment.”
Knight reached 400 career victories during the season and finished her career with 1,251 varsity wins between volleyball and softball. Melissa Stansbury, an assistant coach on the staff, was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year at the end of the 2012 season.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Salisbury University Women’s Volleyball turned a two-set lead and a four-set comeback by Eastern into the program’s first regional championship. Todd’s triple-double, Tapley’s match-high kill total and Glowacki’s six blocks helped the Sea Gulls regain control in the decisive fifth set and reach the national quarterfinals.
Source: Original report
