WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem volleyball team, led by the offensive trio of Taylor Alleyne (16 kills), Valeria Rosa Lopez (13) and Brooklyn Snow (11) stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to force a decisive fifth set, but it was six kills by Jeanana Fowler that helped push Methodist to a 25-8, 25-11, 23-25, 23-25, 15-8 win in USA South Conference action at Varsity Gym on Wednesday, October 27th.
Alleyne drove home 16 of Salem's 51 kills, finishing with a .229 attack percentage. Joining the trio of Alleyne, Lopez and Snow with a solid outing for the Spirits (0-21, 0-15 USA South) was senior Brianna Cherry, who tallied seven kills and a .227 attack percentage. Brianna Moore dished out 27 assists for Salem, while Snow completed a triple-double performance with 11.
Defensively, Macy Nelson led the back row with 26 digs, while Lopez (16), Jessica Cruz (13) and Snow (10) all reached double digit digs. Laken Edwards anchored the front row with three assisted blocks, while Cherry added a pair of her own.
Methodist (12-16, 4-12 USA South) made quick work of the Spirits in the first two sets. The Monarchs capitalized on five kills from Erica East and four off the hand of Geneva Barriger, while posting a .423 attack percentage, to grab a decisive 17-point victory in the opening set.
The duo of East and Barriger, who finished with three kills apiece, along with two kills by Fowler and Kendall Craig, were instrumental in pushing Methodist in front by two sets with a 25-11 victory in the second frame.
An inspired Spirits unit returned from the third set intermission and battled past four one-point leads and a tie in the first 15 points to establish a 14-7 lead behind a kill from Alleyne in the third set. The Monarchs briefly cut the margin to three, 14-11, but timely strikes by Alleyne and Nikita Sizemore kept Salem in front 18-16. Lopez delivered three kills and Cherry added a slam on a pass from Snow, to put the Spirits on the brink of a set win at 24-19. Methodist made a brief rally, slicing the lead to one, before Alleyne delivered the decisive kill on a pass by Moore.
Building on momentum established in the third and from the onlookers at Varsity Gym, Salem stormed out to a 6-3 lead in the early stages of the fourth set. Methodist rallied and forced the first of four ties at eight-all, as the two teams were separated by just three points over a 14-point stretch. Cherry broke a 15-15 tie with a kill for the Spirits which was followed by a block from the tandem of Edwards and Lopez. The Monarchs again rallied, forcing three more ties, reaching a climatic 21-all deadlock. Lopez delivered two kills, while Snow and Alleyne came through with one each to help Salem knot the match at two sets apiece.
With momentum on the Spirits' side, kills by Alleyne and Lopez forced three ties in the first six points and forced a 3-3 deadlock. A Salem miscue allowed Ellie Atkins to step into serve for the Monarchs, who scored the next six points due in large part to three kills by Fowler. Sizemore converted a kill and added a service ace, but it was not enough as Methodist capped off its 12th win of the season and fourth in league play.
Salem makes the quick return to the court on Thursday, October 28th when the Spirits face William Peace in Raleigh at 5 p.m. The regular season concludes on Saturday, October 30th in Meisenheimer, N.C., when Salem faces Southern Virginia and Mary Baldwin.
