Next Match:
Salem at Johnson & Wales | March 19 | Park Road Park | Charlotte, N.C. | 1:00 p.m.
LAST GAME RECAP (vs. Agnes Scott)
The Salem tennis team claimed its first win of the 2022-23 campaign by virtue of an 8-1 triumph over Agnes Scott at the Bert Lain Tennis Courts on Thursday, March 16th. The Spirits halted a six-game losing streak in the head-to-head series and marked the first meeting between the two programs since the 2017 campaign.
Salem grabbed the first point of the match in doubles action when the second-seeded pairing of Haley Gilley and Alyson Gammons posted an 8-1 victory over Rosie Hagel and Fabiola Garcia. Teammates Cadence Durham and Emily Griffis quickly moved the Salem lead to 2-0 with a decisive 8-2 triumph over Katiuska Castillo and Leilah Lewinson.
The combination of Alana Bridges and Harley Hedrick completed the doubles sweep for Salem with an 8-5 victory against Cyrus Lichtenstein and Katherine Cox in the clash of No. 3 seeds.
Gilley picked up her second point of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 victory from the No. 2 singles slot over Castillo. Durham delivered the victorious team point by taking down fellow No. 1 seed Lewinson by a 6-1, 6-0 margin.
Salem continued to roll, stretching the margin to 6-0, as Hedrick picked up a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Hagel in the clash of No. 6 seeds. The seventh point for the Spirits came by virtue of Bridges' 6-1, 6-2 triumph in No. 4 singles over Cox.
The Scotties earned their lone point of the match from No. 3 singles, where Garcia posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over Griffis. Salem bounced back to complete the match with a victory in the fifth-seeded singles clash between Gammons and Lichtenstein. Gammons claimed a 6-4, 6-7, 10-5 win to complete the match.
SEARCHING FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINS
The Spirits go in search of back-to-back team wins on the season on Sunday when they make the trek to Charlotte to face Johnson & Wales.
Salem tennis last claimed consecutive wins in late April 2022 when the Spirits rattled off four straight victories to close out the 2021-22 campaign.
Those four victories came against N.C. Wesleyan, Johnson & Wales, Mary Baldwin and Hollins in succession.
THREE TIED WITH TWO SINGLES WINS
Salem heads into its third match of the 2023 spring season with three players tied with two singles wins apiece. Those players include Alana Bridges (2-2), Haley Gilley (2-2) and Harley Hedrick (2-1).
Bridges has a victory at both the No. 4 and No. 5 position, while Gilley has claimed wins as a No. 2 and No. 3 seed. Hedrick has come through with wins at the No. 5 and No. 6 seed for head coach Ed Steele.
Bridges and Hedrick have paired to claim three doubles victories, most on the team for Salem, all coming as the No. 3 seed.
JOHNSON & WALES IN 2022-23
Johnson & Wales begins a two-game stretch this weekend with a clash against Patrick Henry Community College on Saturday at 2 p.m. before hosting Salem on Sunday afternoon.
The Wildcats are 2-4 overall on the season, winning a pair of matches against Alfred (5-4) and Lancaster Bible (5-4) on March 8th and 9th, respectively.
Johnson & Wales' season began with a 9-0 setback to Brevard on February 17th. The following day, Piedmont took down the Wildcats came through with an 8-1 victory.
Pfeiffer handed the Wildcats their third loss of the slate (8-1) to close out February competition. Johnson & Wales' losing streak reached four with a 6-3 setback to Gordon College on March 7th.