SALEM, WV- Last night the Tigers hosted the Celtics from Carlow University at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium for a regular season volleyball matchup. Salem entered the match with a 4-10 record and had suffered a loss to the Celtics earlier this season. Carlow came to campus with a 7-7 record looking to get above .500.
Set number one got underway and Salem took a slight edge in the early stages at 6-3. They continued their strong showing, but Carlow would not go away easily. It took a 9-2 run by the Tigers to take a commanding 23-11 lead and put the set away. The Tigers would round out the set with a 25-20 lead, holding off late efforts by the Celtics.
The second set was a high-scoring barn burner. Carlow opened early with an 8-5 lead. This three-point cushion stuck with Carlow for the majority of the match. Salem stuck with Carlow, staying in striking distance until their time came. With the Tigers down four in the closing stages of the set, they made their move. Salem reeled off four unanswered points to tie the match at 20-20. The set remained deadlocked as it proceeded, with both teams trading points. In the end, the Tigers were triumphant in a 31-29 win in set two.
Carlow entered the third set with a determination not to be swept. They got up 9-3 early and never looked back. Salem’s offense fell flat in the early stages of the set, but they began to show signs of life in the second half. However, the Celtic’s early lead proved too much to overcome as they claimed set three 25-15.
Set number four presented Salem with another opportunity to close out the match. The Tigers got up 5-2 early and looked like they did in the first set. After establishing the early lead there was pushback from the Celtics. They clawed their way back into the set and managed to take the lead from the Tigers at 12-9. Salem would then go on another run, this one 7-3 which gave them the lead once again at 16-15. Carlow dug deep in the closing points and gutted out another set victory 25-21.
Final set to fifteen underway and it was anyones game. Carlow grabbed the early advantage at 4-1 before Salem came storming back with four unanswered points to grab their first lead at 5-4. As the set progressed Salem continued to chug along and seemed to have the set taken care of when they were up 12-8 on the visiting Celtics. Carlow then scored four unanswered to tie the match with three points standing between either team and a match win. Salem closed the set scoring three of the last four points and securing a set win 15-13 and taking home the match victory 3-2.
The Tigers will be back Friday, October 6th at 7pm. They’ll be hosting the Fairmont State Falcons at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium.