FERRUM, Va. – Valeria Rosa Lopez became the fourth player in Salem history to record a program-record 23 kills, joining the trio of Kylie Taffer (2x), Christine Tillman and Hillary McPhatter, in a five-set battle against Ferrum on Thursday, September 16th. The Panthers managed to hold off Salem in the fifth set to earn a 20-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-17, 15-6 victory when the two teams clashed at Swartz Gymnasium.
Lopez completed her solid performance with her third double-double of season by virtue of a 21-dig outing. She was joined offensively by teammate Brooklyn Snow, who drove home a single-match career-high 14 kills. That duo helped Salem, which fell to 0-5 on the campaign, finish with a .234 hitting percentage by virtue of 49 kills and 19 errors in 128 total attacks.
Lopez was one of four Salem players with double-digit digs along with Macy Nelson (18), Snow (14) and Dania Shoaf (11). The front row was highlighted by Brianna Moore and Laken Edwards, who were responsible for two assisted blocks each. Moore narrowly missed a double-double of her own, closing with nine digs to go along with her team-high 44 assists.
Salem capitalized on three kills in the first nine points, two off the hand of Rosa Lopez, to grab a 7-2 lead in the first set. The Panthers trimmed the margin to three, 9-6, but a pair of kills from Taylor Alleyne and Snow helped spark a Spirits run that resulted in a 15-10 lead. Ferrum retaliated with a 6-1 run, drawing even at 16, forcing the first of four ties. An unforced error by the Panthers, coupled with kills by Moore and Lopez helped Salem earn the 25-20 win.
Ferrum (3-7) regained its composure in the intermission, establishing a 7-1 lead in the second set. Two kills each from Lopez and Snow was not enough to derail the Panthers' offense, which extended its lead to 14-6. Dania Shoaf's service game, which put Salem into double figures, was not enough to prevent a 25-16 win that knotted the match at 1-1.
The Spirits regained their opening set form in the third frame by battling through three ties in the first eight points to assume a 6-4 advantage with a kill from Lopez and an assisted block by Moore and Edwards. Moore stretched that two-point lead to four, 12-8, with a service ace. The duo of Lopez and Edwards slammed home kills in the later stage of the set, providing Salem with a 19-13 lead. Lopez tacked on two kills in the waning stages of the set to help give Salem the eight-point victory.
The back-and-forth battle between the two units raged into the fourth set where Ferrum stormed out to a 4-2 lead with an ace from Samir Kircher. Four kills by Lopez highlighted a Salem run that resulted in a 9-7 advantage by the Spirits. A Panther timeout shifted the lead as they put together an 8-2 run to forge ahead 15-11. The five-point lead eventually ballooned to eight, 23-15, with a block by Airiana Beverley. Salem managed just two points as Ferrum forced the fifth and decisive set.
The Panthers carried over momentum from the fourth set into the fifth frame, assuming a 3-0 lead before a slam from Alleyne provided Salem with its first point of the game. Anna Rymer and Taylor Joyner added a series of kills as Ferrum moved in front 7-2. Lopez trimmed the deficit to four, but back-to-back kills by Saryn Pennell and Shelby Waltrip forced the Spirits to burn a timeout trailing 10-3. Ferrum received three kills down the stretch, while Snow added a pair for Salem, as the Panthers claimed their third win of the season.
Salem returns to action on Saturday, September 18th, when the Spirits face off against Guilford at 12 p.m. in Greensboro.
