Slugs Reverse Sweep Eagles, Fall to Salisbury to End Weekend

Saturday, October 3

Fredericksburg, VA

8:00 AM | 11:00 AM ET

UC Santa Cruz Athletics

9-6

University of Mary Washington

4-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UC Santa Cruz	16	20	27	25	15	3
Mary Washington	25	25	25	20	9	2

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC Santa Cruz	22	25	14	16	1
Salisbury	25	19	25	25	3

Slugs Reverse Sweep Eagles, Fall to Salisbury to End Weekend

10/3/2026 8:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - In a thrilling five-set battle, the UC Santa Cruz women's volleyball team opened the day with a dramatic reverse sweep against Mary Washington, pulling off a 3-2 victory (16-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 15-9). After dropping the opening two frames, the Banana Slugs found their rhythm to push their record to 9-6 on the season, winning seven straight contests. On the stat sheet, UCSC matched Mary Washington kill-for-kill with 51 total, fueled by stellar offensive distribution from Margo Melgoza (42 assists, 3 service aces) and balanced execution on the wings from Khloe Pavia and Alice Taylor, who dropped 14 kills apiece. Shiraz Benyoucef anchored the defense with a match-high 17 digs, alongside Ella Sniezek's 12 digs, while Charlotte Skulte was a force at the net with 4 blocks and 9 kills.

In a tough 3-1 setback to Salisbury (22-25, 25-19, 14-25, 16-25), the UC Santa Cruz women's volleyball team moved to 9-7 on the season. Offensively, UCSC hit .186 overall with 48 kills, led by Alice Taylor (12 kills, 1 ace) and Charlotte Skulte (11 kills, 2 blocks). Setter Margo Melgoza dished out 29 assists, while Shiraz Benyoucef led the back row with 13 digs alongside Kate Lau's 12.

UC Santa Cruz 3, University of Mary Washington 2
The match opened with Mary Washington taking firm control early on. In the first set, UC Santa Cruz struggled to find an offensive rhythm, hitting -.160 with 9 errors on 25 total attacks as Mary Washington took advantage to capture a comfortable 25-16 win. The second set saw slight improvement from the Slugs, with 8 kills and a .143 hitting percentage, but Mary Washington maintained a steady posture on defense and steady production on the attack to post another 25-20 win, putting UCSC on the brink of a straight-set sweep.

With their backs against the wall in the third set, UC Santa Cruz completely reshaped the match by putting together an offensive masterpiece. The Slugs surged for an incredible 17 kills with just a single attack error on 28 total attempts, posting a blistering .571 hitting percentage for the frame. Driven by precise setups from Melgoza and clutch swings from Pavia and Taylor, UCSC weathered an equally fierce fight from Mary Washington who tallied 17 kills of their own and survived extra points to secure a nail-biting 27-25 victory, keeping the match alive.

Riding the wave of momentum into the fourth set, the Banana Slugs continued to put pressure on Mary Washington's passing defense. Despite a few tactical rallies and tight net play, UCSC notched 12 kills and capitalized on key service aces from Melgoza and Gabia Paliulis (3 aces) to establish control early in the frame. Maintaining lead margins late into the set, UCSC closed out a 25-20 win to force a decisive fifth set.

In the final frame, UC Santa Cruz put on a defensive clinic to complete the reverse sweep. The Slugs held Mary Washington to just a single kill and a -.188 hitting percentage across 16 total attacks, using sharp net blocking from Skulte and strong defense by Benyoucef to stymie every comeback attempt. Offensively, UCSC knocked down 9 kills on 24 swings, steadily extending their margin to wrap up the match with a decisive 15-9 victory in the fifth set.

UC Santa Cruz 1, Salisbury University 3
The opening set saw a competitive battle, but Salisbury claimed a late edge to win 25-22 despite 15 kills from UCSC.
The Slugs bounced back strongly in the second frame, playing their cleanest volleyball of the match with 15 kills and just two errors on a .406 hitting clip to steal a 25-19 set win.
Momentum quickly evaporated in the third, as Salisbury's defense completely stifled the UCSC attack, forcing seven errors to hold the Slugs to a .000 hitting percentage in a lopsided 25-14 decision. Salisbury kept their foot on the gas in the fourth set, hitting .300 to pull away for a 25-16 win and seal the four-set victory.