Salem University established a season high for team blocks in a match, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers fell to West Virginia Wesleyan College 25-23, 25-17, 25-17 in NCAA Division II volleyball Tuesday at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. Breslyn Argo and Jalavia Johnson had four blocks apiece to lead the Tigers.

Salem rallied from an early four-point deficit in the opening set as Makhia Hinton's kill and a block by Argo and Liane Moser helped the Tigers draw even at 12-12. West Virginia Wesleyan built another four-point advantage, but Salem's net play and service game brought the Tigers back again.

Johnson combined with Hinton on a block and then served an ace to trigger a 5-1 run. Hinton added a kill and Alaina Weltz served an ace as the Tigers tied the set 20-20. After Argo recorded a kill between Bobcat sideouts, Yesenia Munoz sparked Salem to its first lead of the set. Munoz turned a potential Bobcat ace into a Tiger kill, then followed with an ace of her own to put Salem on top 23-22. But West Virginia Wesleyan rallied to score the final three points and capture the first set.

An ace by Munoz gave Salem a 4-3 lead in the second half before West Virginia Wesleyan scored four unanswered points to regain the lead. The margin grew to five points before a Hinton kill and a block by Hinton and Munoz highlighted a 4-0 run to pull the Tigers within 12-11. After West Virginia Wesleyan scored the next two points, a Bobcat service error and Moser's kill brought Salem within 14-13. But that was as close as the Tigers would get as West Virginia Wesleyan went on to take a two-set lead.

Moser's kill and a series of Bobcat errors helped the Tigers take a 6-5 lead in the third set. But back-to-back aces highlighted a 7-1 West Virginia Wesleyan run and Salem never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

Salem tallied 14 block assists for a team total of seven blocks. Hinton led Salem with five kills and Johnson added four kills. Munoz had a team-high nine digs, while Elise Valdez finished with seven digs.

Salem is on the road for its next two matches as the Tigers travel to Concord University Thursday and to Bluefield State College Friday.