Salisbury University women’s volleyball swept the Drew Rangers, 3-0, on Sept. 4 at Maggs Physical Activities Center in Salisbury, Maryland, to open the fourth annual Margie Knight Classic. The Sea Gulls won 25-14, 25-12 and 25-12 to improve to 2-0 at the start of the 2026 season.
Elizabeth Villegas led Salisbury with 18 digs and recorded her 1,000th career dig on the final point of the match. Her final dig set up the point that completed the sweep.
Salisbury Controls All Three Sets
Salisbury never trailed in the opening set and used back-to-back service aces from Villegas to build an 8-3 lead. A 6-0 run later pushed the advantage to 19-8 before the Sea Gulls closed out the set, 25-14.
The Sea Gulls turned an early 2-2 tie in the second set into a 9-2 advantage with a 7-0 run. Kiley McTaggart recorded two kills and two service aces during the run, and Julie Altieri ended the set with a kill as Salisbury won 25-12.
Salisbury built a 17-8 lead in the third set behind kills from McTaggart, Sophia Tapia and Amanda Meschi. Drew cut the deficit to 19-11, but the Sea Gulls answered with four consecutive points before Meschi finished the match with a kill for the 25-12 win.
McTaggart, Meschi Lead Salisbury Attack
McTaggart and Meschi shared the team lead with nine kills apiece. McTaggart also added four service aces and four block assists, while Tapia recorded four kills without an error, hit .571 and finished with five blocks, including two solo blocks.
Altieri directed the offense with 24 assists and added three kills without an error and four digs. Salisbury hit .292 as a team, compared with Drew’s minus-.110, and held advantages of 12-1 in service aces and 9-3 in blocks.
Margie Knight Classic Continues Saturday
The victory moved Salisbury to 9-1 all-time in the Margie Knight Classic, which began in 2023. The Sea Gulls will continue the event Saturday against Muskingum at 11 a.m. inside Maggs Gym before facing Lebanon Valley at approximately 5 p.m.
Salisbury University is an NCAA Division III member with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Salisbury combined a balanced attack with strong serving and blocking to start the Margie Knight Classic. Villegas’ 1,000th career dig added a milestone to a sweep in which the Sea Gulls won every set and improved to 2-0.
Source: Original report
