Vikings Sweep Tri-Meet at Albertus Magnus

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Salem State opened the 2023 season with a sweep at Albertus Magnus as the Falcons hosted the Vikings and SUNY Old Westbury in a tri-match on Saturday afternoon at Cosgrove Marcus Messer Arena. The Vikings defeated the Panthers 3-1 in their opening match before dispatching the host Falcons 3-1 in the day's finale.

Salem State 3 Old Westbury 1

Abigail O'Connor (15 kills) and Presley Shairs (12 kills) jump started the Vikings' offense after a slow start. O'Connor also tallied four blocks and three aces. Eva Haralabatos paced the Vikings with 22 assists and 14 digs while Celia Carbone contributed 12 assists and seven digs with a pair of aces.

The Panthers raced out to a 10-2 lead in set one, as Salem State struggled to find their rhythm on offense. A Geanelle Sam kill made the advantage 18-8 in favor of the Panthers. Back-to-back aces by Jonangeliz Alvarez pushed the lead to 21-10 before Old Westbury prevailed 25-16. Alvarez finished with three aces in the set while the Vikings hit just .160.

Salem State rallied in set two, as kills by Haley Philips and Shairs put Salem State on top 9-7. Shairs's fourth kill of the set, gave the Vikings a 17-15 lead, allowing Salem State to hold on for a 25-21 victory. The Vikings dominated up front as O'Connor registered six kills to even the match at 1-1. Leading 2-1 entering the fourth set, the Vikings looked to clinch the match as the two teams played a tightly contested final set. Salem State took advantage of poor hitting by Old Westbury (-.053), which included 10 errors. Salem State held a slim 16-14 advantage following a kill by Philips. The Panthers drew to within 18-17, but the Vikings scored seven of the final 10 points, including the final four in a row to secure the match.

Salem State 3 Albertus Magnus 1

O'Connor led the way with 15 kills and four blocks. Haralabatos had 20 assists, nine digs and six aces while Kailey Roche produced 19 digs. 

Haralabatos had a set-high seven assists in the opening game against Albertus Magnus. Tied 10-10, Salem State peeled off seven straight points, punctuated by an ace from Harabalatos. 10 errors by the Falcons helped the Vikings take a 24-15 lead before Carbone won the set with an ace.

The Falcons stormed out to a 15-6 lead in set two, however Salem State battled back as O'Connor racked up three straight kills. Salem State got as close as two, but Albertus Magnus scored back-to-back points to hold on for a 25-21 win. Salem State pulled away for a 25-20 win in set three as eight attack errors led to eight unforced points for the Vikings.  

Three straight service aces by Haralabatos propelled the Vikings to a 4-0 lead in set four. The Falcons came back to take an 11-7 lead, but Salem State showed its resiliency by scoring eight straight points to take a 15-11 advantage. A kill by Shairs gave the Vikings a commanding 21-15 lead, as the Vikings went on to win with a kill by O'Connor clinching the match.