Salem, WV--The Ursuline College volleyball team battled back to force a fifth set but narrowly fell to Salem in a road nonconference matchup Friday, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Tigers.
The Arrows (2-21) fell by set scores of 25-19, 16-25, 25-22, 19-25 and 14-16.
Ursuline came out strong in the opening set, jumping out to an 8-0 lead before Salem trimmed the deficit to 12-10. The teams traded points before the Arrows closed the set with a 6-2 run to take an early advantage.
Salem responded in the second set, building a 10-4 lead. Ursuline battled to stay within reach, but the Tigers used a 7-1 run after holding a 15-12 advantage to create separation and even the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured back-and-forth action, with the Arrows fighting back to tie the score at 13-13 after trailing early. The teams continued trading points until Ursuline found its rhythm late, closing the set with a 7-4 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Tigers answered in the fourth set, gradually building an advantage before a four-point run extended their lead to 22-15. Salem maintained its momentum down the stretch, taking the set 25-19 to force a decisive fifth set.
In the final frame, Salem jumped out to a 10-5 lead, but Ursuline refused to go quietly. The Arrows rallied to tie the score at 13-13 and again at 14-14, putting themselves within reach of the victory. However, the Tigers claimed the final two points to secure the narrow win.
Salem held a 64-53 advantage in kills, while Ursuline limited its mistakes at the net, finishing with 21 attack errors compared to the Tigers' 33. Salem also led in service aces, 8-5, while the Arrows controlled the net with a 13-6 advantage in blocks.
The Tigers finished with a 61-51 edge in assists, while Ursuline narrowly led in digs, 80-79.
Ellie Zoeckler led the Arrows offensively with 15 kills, while Nizhoni Clement added 13 and Skye Peairson contributed nine. Mya Jackson and Addyson Greene recorded two service aces apiece.
Frida Martinez delivered a standout performance at the net, recording six solo blocks and one block assist. Her six solo blocks established a new Ursuline program record for most solo blocks in a single match.
Annie Quinlan and Sophia Serrano shared the playmaking duties, recording 21 assists apiece. Jackson anchored the defense with 19 digs, followed by Alivia Martin with 16. Zoeckler added 10 digs to complete a double-double.
Up next: Ursuline returns to G-MAC action next Friday, traveling to Hillsdale, MI, to face Hillsdale at 7 p.m.
