MOUNT HOPE, West Virginia - After a tightly contested rivalry game on Tuesday night, the Salem Tigers volleyball team took a brief hiatus from their long string of Mountain East Conference opponents to take on the Warriors of Appalachian Bible College down in Mount Hope, West Virginia. Salem took to the change in routine well as they cruised to a strong 3-0 victory. 

The contest opened with the Tigers dominating the opening set. Hailey Haynes and Jocelyn Rios controlled the middle for Salem, and led the Tigers to a dominant 25-9 victory in set 1. For set 2, the Warriors battled with the Tigers for a time, but Salem settled in and took control of the contest behind some strong hitting from Noemi Combi to take set 2 25-21. For the final frame, Salem kept in a good rhythm, and continued their stranglehold on the contest. Valentina Poti and Makenna Long helped the Tigers seal the 25-11 set victory with some key points down the stretch, and therefore earned Salem the decisive 3-0 victory over Appalachian Bible. 

From the stats sheet, Salem was led offensively by Hailey Haynes with 9 kills and a solo block. Makenna Long also had a strong day with 8 kills, 3 service aces, 1 block, and 6 digs. Kayla Holbrook has taken to her new libero role well by leading the Tigers defensively with 8 digs. This win should propel the Tigers into their next contest with some newfound energy. That contest will be at home against the Wheeling Cardinals on October 11th at 7 PM.