WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem tennis team opens the 2022 spring season on Saturday, February 26th, when the Spirits host Hollins for a non-conference clash at the Bert Lain Tennis Center on the Salem College campus. It is the first of 16 matches on the season, seven of which will take place at home.
The Spirits last competed at home on October 5, 2019, when they earned a 7-2 victory over Hollins. Salem finished 3-1 that season, earning two victories at the Bert Lain Tennis Center, before having the remainder of the schedule, along with the 2021 campaign, canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salem head coach Ed Steele's roster consists of four upperclassmen (Alyssa Cosentino, Alexus Little, Mariana Rubio and Tiera Thomas) and one sophomore (Haley Gilley). Cosentino is responsible for the most doubles victories (six), while Gilley is the only player on the team with a singles win (two) along with a pair of doubles wins.
PFEIFFER INVITATIONAL (Sept. 26, 2021): Five members of the Salem tennis team participated in the Pfeiffer Invitational on Sunday, September 26th in Meisenheimer, N.C., marking the only fall tournament of the season for the Spirits.
Salem's Haley Gilley was the representative in the Flight 1 singles, opening with Pfeiffer's Megan Rekieta, who posted a 6-1, 6-1 victory, before facing Madyson Schreiber (Guilford), who mirrored those scores in her victory.
McKinley Rice took part in Flight 2 singles, opening with a 6-1, 6-1 setback to Pfeiffer's Darby Sherrill. She followed that by clashing with Guilford's Hannah Pardue, who closed with a 6-1, 6-0 win.
Alyssa Cosentino, competing in Flight 3 singles for Salem, faced Jolie Nhouyvansvong (Guilford) in the opening set, where she suffered a 6-0, 6-2 setback. Cosentino then squared off against the Falcons' Alison Sloop, who posted a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Edi Nixon represented Salem in the Flight 5 singles, where she faced Pfeiffer's Brittany Mills, who emerged 6-1, 6-0. Zakeria Pomeroy also competed in the Flight 5 singles for Salem, facing Nya Reed (Guilford), who claimed a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Gilley paired with Pomeroy in one of the Flight 1 doubles matches, falling to the Pfieffer combination of Rekieta and Sherrill by a score of 8-1. Gilley then joined forces with Rice, also in Flight 1 doubles, and squared off against Pardue and Schreiber, who emerged 8-1.
Cosentino and Pomeroy teamed up in Flight 2 doubles to face Nhouyvansvong and Niyibizi (Guilford), suffering an 8-0 setback. The tandem of Cosentino and Nixon battled Hudson and Sloop (Pfeiffer) also in Flight 2 doubles, falling 8-1 in the process.
PREVIEWING HOLLINS: Saturday's match will mark the first of the spring slate for Hollins as well. Hollins wrapped up the fall schedule with a 1-2 record, defeating Trinity (D.C.) by a 9-0 margin. The two setbacks came to Ferrum (6-3) and Covenant (8-1).
