MEISENHEIMER, N.C. – The Salem trio of Valeria Rosa Lopez, Brooklyn Snow and Taylor Alleyne reached double figure kills, but it was seven players with at least eight kills for Pfeiffer that made the difference as the Falcons held off the hard-charging Spirits' squad by scores of 25-16, 26-28, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12 in the first USA South Conference match of the season for the two squads.

Lopez led all hitters in both kills (19) and digs (20), marking her fifth double-double of the season. She was joined on offense by Snow, who tallied a single-match career-high 18 kills, as well as Alleyne, whose 13 kills marked the first time in her collegiate career she reached double figures.

The tandem of Allyene and Snow were efficient throughout the match for head coach Barry Rymer, finishing with .393 and .310 attack percentages, respectively. Salem (0-7, 0-1 USA South) finished off the five-set affair with a .180 attack percentage while the Falcons managed a .230 attack percentage.

Lopez was one of four Spirits with double-digit digs, along with Macy Nelson (11), Dania Shoaf and Brianna Moore (10). Moore posted a double-double of her own due to 40 assists in the match.

Reagan Wyatt provided the offensive spark for the Falcons with 11 kills, while teammates Lauren Shepherd and Madison Honeycutt closed with 10 kills apiece. Honeycutt, who committed just one error in 16 attempts, closed with a .563 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Wyatt posted a .391 hitting percentage and Shepard posted a .320 attack percentage. Emma Gray Beacham was the highlight on defense with 16 digs.

Pfeiffer (8-2, 1-0 USA South) opened the match strong by assuming a 9-2 lead behind the service games of Kylee Mayberry and Mattie Hinson. The lead grew to 13-3, following a kill by Shepherd, but timely strikes by Lopez and Brianna Cherry helped Salem reach double figures. The Spirits managed to trim the margin to seven, 23-16, but Pfeiffer capitalized on a pair of unforced errors to complete the victory.

The two teams battled to an eight-all deadlock in the second set before Pfeiffer put together a 9-2 run that moved the Falcons in front 17-10. Three kills from Alleyne, along with strikes by Snow and Cherry, highlighted a Salem rally that trimmed the deficit to 22-20. Alleyne continued to be a catalyst for the offense, pulling Salem even at 24 with a slam, as the two teams would endure two more ties in the next four points. A service error coupled with a kill from Snow provided the final two points of the game for Salem.

Capitalizing on momentum established in the second frame, Salem grabbed an 8-2 lead in the third behind the duo of Alleyne in serve and Lopez's kills. Pfeiffer trimmed the lead to two, but timely kills by Snow and Alleyne kept the Spirits in front at the midpoint of the match. Lopez and Cherry drove home three kills resulted in a 21-17 advantage before Lopez took over in serve. Snow added a kill and Lopez contributed two service aces as Salem grabbed the 2-1 lead in the match.

After two ties in the first 16 points, including an eight-all deadlock, Snow provided Salem with a slim lead with back-to-back kills. That lead grew to three for the Spirits, 20-16, with consecutive service aces by Lopez as Salem closed in on its first win of the season. Trailing 23-19, following a pair of kills from Snow, Pfeiffer burned its final timeout of the frame. The result was a six-point unanswered run by the Falcons, who used two kills from Honeycutt and four unforced errors to send the match to a decisive fifth set.

Mayberry and Morgan Shrader helped forge Pfeiffer in front 6-2 in the final set. Lopez stepped up in the moment for the Spirits, delivering three kills, while Snow added a kill of her own to make for a 9-7 Falcon lead. Despite kills from Alleyne, Pfeiffer managed to assume the 14-9 lead. The Spirits countered with back-to-back points, including an ace from Snow and block by Lopez, but Pfeiffer closed out the win on an unforced error.

Salem returns to the court on Saturday, September 25th, when the Spirits head to Rocky Mount, N.C., for a clash with USA South Conference foes N.C. Wesleyan and Greensboro.