MISENHEIMER, N.C. (Sept. 5) – The Tigers took two of four matches at the Pfeiffer Invitational Friday evening and Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.
The split moves the Salem International University volleyball team to 3-2 this season, already more than half way to its win total of five a year ago. The Tigers scored wins over Johnson C. Smith and Pfeiffer, while Slippery Rock and UVa.-Wise dealt Salem International losses.
The Tigers were involved in a tight first set against host Pfeiffer, but settled in to take a 3-0 win in their opening match at the event. The Tigers fought off set-point three times and picked up a 31-29 victory that propelled the squad to 25-16 and 25-13 wins in the following two sets to earn the shutout win.
Sophomore
Rachel Hess (Stuttgart, Germany/Patch) led Salem International with nine kills and freshman
Kara Kocurek (Orange Grove, Texas/Orange Grove) paced her effort with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Senior Brittany Nesbitt (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown South) guided the offense with a team-best 19 assists, while junior
Emerald Rosenbusch (Hutto, Texas/Hutto) led the defense with 11 digs.
The Tigers were defeated 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-16) by Slippery Rock in the team's second contest on Friday night. Salem International at one point in the first set held a 13-10 lead and only trailed 21-20 late, but The Rock earned the final five points of the first-set to go ahead early in the match. Slippery Rock did not miss a beat in the next two sets, delivering the Tigers their first loss of the season.
Freshman
Sophie Freihofer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) led the team with six kills, while Nesbitt chipped in 10 assists and Rosenbusch tallied a team-high 11 digs in the loss.
Salem International got back on track in its first match on Saturday morning, dismantling Johnson C. Smith for a 3-0 win (25-12, 25-15, 25-9).
Hess led the attack with 11 kills, while sophomore
Felice Reed (Pilot Point, Texas/Pilot Point) guided the offense with 11 assists. The team shared the wealth, as 15 different Tigers saw playing time in the match, including multiple kills from eight different players.
Salem International concluded play in North Carolina with a 3-0 loss (25-21, 25-17, 25-19) to UVa.-Wise Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers came out swinging in the first set and held a 17-15 lead. Unfortunately, UVa.-Wise rallied to take 10 of the next 14 points to win the opening set. The Cavaliers held the edge for the majority of the next two sets to claim the victory.
Freihofer led Salem International with 10 kills, while Hess added nine in the loss. Reed and Nesbitt each tallied double-digit assists with 15 and 12, respectively.
The Tigers are back on the court Tuesday, Sept. 8 when they head to Richmond, Virginia to take on Virginia Union. The non-conference match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
