Pfeiffer, Meredith Head to Bert Lain Tennis Center on Saturday

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

SALEM OPENS 2023 FALL SLATE AT GUILFORD
For the first time since the 2018 campaign the Salem tennis team opened the season with a victory, which came when the Spirits claimed a 7-2 victory over intracity foe Guilford on Sunday, September 24th at McMichael Courts in Greensboro, N.C.

The Spirits, who have now won five straight meetings against Guilford, last opened the season with a win on September 29, 2018 when they downed Hollins by a 9-0 margin.

In Sunday's clash, the Spirits earned two points in doubles action. One of those points came from the No. 1 pair of first year's Mariana Faint and Adley Keim, who defeated Ashley Belnap and Kancie Tate by an 8-6 margin. Teammates Cadence Durham and Alyx Diggs, who were the No. 3 seeds for Salem, grabbed an 8-1 win over Molly Wilson and Bethany Lupo.

Guilford's lone doubles point came from Jolie Nhouyvanisvong and Nya Reed, who fought past the hard-charging pair of Alana Bridges and Emily Griffis to post an 8-7 (7-5) victory in No. 2 doubles play.

The Spirits picked up five points in singles play, including Keim's 6-2, 6-0 win over Belnap in No.1 singles action, helping the Salem rookie to mark her first collegiate wins in both singles and doubles action. Faint was also successful with a victory in No. 2 singles action, picking up her second win of the day and first collegiate victory, by scores of 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7) over Nhouyvanisvong.

Durham helped Salem sweep the top three seeds as she took down Kancie Tate by scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Bridges bounced back from her doubles setback to come away with a 7-5, 6-2 victory in No. 5 singles play over Wilson. First year Alyx Diggs picked up her first singles win in collegiate play by battling past Lupo by scores of 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.

Guilford's lone win in singles action came by virtue of Reed's 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 triumph over Griffis in fourth-seeded action.

SPIRITS RETURN TO BERT LAIN TENNIS CENTER
Salem makes its first home appearance of the 2023-24 campaign this weekend.

The Spirits capped off the 2022-23 season with four victories at the Bert Lain Tennis Center, including the final two regular season matches. The first of those matches came against Johnson & Wales, who Salem downed 6-3, on April 21st. Two days later, against USA South Conference rival Greensboro, the Spirits clinched their spot in the 2023 USA South Conference Tournament—marking the first in program history—with a 7-2 decision.

FALL 2023 SCHEDULE FEATURES FOUR OPPONENTS OVER TWO WEEKENDS
Salem head coach Ed Steele will look to make progress with his squad during a stretch in late September that will feature four matches against Guilford, Meredith and Pfeiffer.

Steele's 2023 squad includes seniors Alana Bridges and Emily Griffis along with a trio of sophomores with experience—Cadence Durham, Abrielle Eckenroth and Harley Hedrick.

Steele added three first year players to the roster in the form of Alyx Diggs, Mariana Faint and Adley Keim.

The Spirits have won at least five matches in six of the last seven years under Steele. The only exception came in 2019-20, where Salem was 3-1 in a COVID-19 shortened season.

SPIRITS OPEN WITH GUILFORD
Last weekend's victory over Guilford marked the fifth time in program history that Salem opened the season with a victory.

The first time that Salem began a season with a 1-0 mark was in 2009, the first year of the program, when the Spirits downed N.C. Wesleyan by a 7-1 margin on February 13th. Two years later, on February 16, 2011, Salem posted a 6-3 win over Greensboro to open the campaign.

It would take another five years until the Spirits began the slate with a 1-0 record, which came on February 27, 2016, with a 9-0 downing of William Peace in Raleigh, N.C. Before the victory over Guilford on Sunday, September 24th, the most recent victory in a season opener came with a 9-0 triumph over Hollins on September 29, 2018.

Salem has only opened a season with a 2-0 mark once in program history, which came in the first season of the program. The Spirits followed their 7-0 win over N.C. Wesleyan with an 8-0 victory against Ferrum on February 20, 2009.

There have been five times in tennis history that Salem began 2-1 to open the season, which came in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016 and most recently in 2019.

ANALYZING WEEKEND OPPONENTS—MEREDITH, PFEIFFER
Meredith makes its 2023-24 debut this weekend with its clashes against both Guilford and Salem.

The Avenging Angels wrapped up the season with a 3-10 overall record, posting a 3-6 mark in the USA South Conference.

One of those victories came in the final week of the season by a 6-3 margin over fellow Raleigh rival William Peace. The remaining two wins came over Greensboro (6-3) and Salem in an April swing through the Triad on April 6th and April 11th.

Meredith's fall slate also includes clashes with Virginia Wesleyan (Oct. 14) and Mount Olive (Oct. 21).

Pfeiffer's first dual of the 2023-24 season will come this weekend in Winston-Salem. The Falcons took part in the WildCat Invitational, hosted by Randolph College on September 18th. Six days later, the Falcons hosted the Pfeiffer Invitational on September 24th, which took place in Misenheimer, N.C.

Pfeiffer will also take part in the Belmont Abbey Invitational (Oct. 12-13) and a scrimmage with NCAA Division II Anderson on October 23rd.