SALEM, W.Va. — After dropping an extended opening set, the Salem University women's volleyball team responded in dominant fashion, sweeping the final three frames to earn a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-20) over West Virginia Tech on Friday night inside T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.
The win pushes the Tigers to 10-4 on the season.
West Virginia Tech controlled the tempo early in the match. Guided by precise hitting from Aniston Treadway, the Golden Bears capitalized on six Salem attack errors to build a lead and claim the opening set 25-21 despite 12 tie scores.
Refusing to back down on their home floor, the Tigers asserted control in set two. Salem's dual-setter system of Katie Kennedy and Amari Nunez began finding gaps in the Golden Bears' backline, while the defense held West Virginia Tech to a meager .032 hitting percentage. A high-powered pin attack led by Alexandra Vigneron helped Salem pull away for a comfortable 25-15 victory to level the match.
Salem kept its foot on the gas in the third frame. Outside hitter Brianna Beyerle was nearly unstoppable on the attack, putting down key terminations while middle blocker Noemi Combi hit .400 to break open the set. Behind a match-high 17 kills in the frame, the Tigers seized momentum with a 25-16 set win to take a 2-1 match lead.
The Tigers saved their best offensive output for the fourth set, firing at a blistering .357 clip with 18 kills. West Virginia Tech attempted a late surge led by Treadway and Maura O'Neill, but strong service pressure from Nunez and defensive cleanup from libero Ana Julia Avila Vian kept the Golden Bears at bay. Salem closed out the frame 25-20 to seal the four-set victory.
Vigneron paced the Tigers with a match-high 19 kills, while Beyerle notched a double-double with 16 kills and 13 digs. Combi added 10 kills, and Sarah Ghadesi Morales chipped in seven terminations. Kennedy and Nunez directed the attack with 30 and 21 assists, respectively, while Avila Vian anchored the defense with a team-high 15 digs.
West Virginia Tech was led by Treadway's 10 kills and 14 digs, alongside 32 assists from setter Addison White.
