FAIRMONT, West Virginia - After a disappointing season opener last night against Walsh, the Salem Tigers Volleyball team had a new opportunity to get on the right track for the young season as they took on Slippery Rock as part of the Fairmont State Volleyball Classic. Unfortunately, the Tigers could not quite find the offensive output to maintain pace with their opponents, and fell by a score of 3-0. 

In set 1, the Tigers got off to a slow start as Slippery Rock would jump out to an early 7-2 lead. Salem would then bounce back to bring the score within 5, but they were never able to close the gap as both teams traded points towards the end of the set. Slippery Rock would take set 1 by a score of 25-15.

In set 2, it was a very similar story. Both teams traded some early blows, but some long Slippery Rock rallies would put the set away quickly by a score of 25-7.

In set 3, Salem made their last stand to stay in the match, and they would even take a brief early lead. However, the offensive output of Slippery Rock was simply too much to keep up with for the Tigers and they would drop the final set 25-10. 

There were some bright spots for the Tigers however. Makhia Hinton would lead the team with 5 kills and 11 digs on the day, and Gabriela Chaparro Coss would chip in 5 assists. Brianna Sotelo also had a good day adding 2 service aces and 3 assists to the Tiger's efforts. 

Despite the loss, there is still some opportunity to make the weekend a success for Salem Volleyball. They are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, August 27th as the final leg of their time at the Fairmont State Classic. They are slated to face Ursuline College at 10 am, and then will face off with Pitt-Johnstown at 4 pm.