SAINT AUGUSTINE, Florida - After a short break off of their regular season finale, the Salem women's volleyball team returned to action today to for their first ever contest in the Peach Belt Conference Championship Tournament. The Tigers had the tall task of taking on the regular season co-champion Augusta, and while the Tigers made their mark, the Jaguars pulled away with the 3-0 win.
Despite the final score, the Tigers showed flashes of competitive spirit, especially in the second set, against a nationally-ranked Augusta squad known for its dominant Peach Belt play.
Set Highlights
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Set 1 (9-25): The Jaguars came out firing, quickly taking control of the scoreboard with aggressive hitting and serving. Salem struggled to find offensive rhythm against Augusta's defense.
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Set 2 (20-25): This was Salem's best effort of the day. The team executed better offensively and defensively, holding a lead for a portion of the set and battling Augusta through several tie scores. Valentina Poti and Alexandra Vigneron contributed key kills, while libero Ana Julia Avila Vian anchored the defense. Despite the strong effort, Augusta ultimately pulled away late to secure the 25-20 win.
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Set 3 (10-25): The momentum swung back to Augusta, who used an outstanding performance at the net to shut down the Tigers' offense, closing out the match with a dominant 25-10 final set.
Tiger Player Spotlight
Setter Katie Kennedy led the offense with 18 assists, distributing the ball effectively and adding 11 digs. Defensively, Ana Julia Avila Vian was everywhere, posting a team-high 16 digs in the match.
On the attack, the scoring was balanced:
While today's result down south was not what the Tigers were looking for, it has still been a successful season for the program. Salem eclipsed their highest win total since 2006, and should be primed to make big strides in 2026 under the direction of Head Coach Matt Carpenter.
