Roche Grabs 1,000 Career Digs; Vikings Fall to Gordon

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 0 vs. Gordon College, 3 (25-16, 25-9, 25-15)

Records: 
Gordon College Fighting Scots (9-3)
Salem State University Vikings (3-7)

Location: Salem, Mass. - Twohig Gymnasium

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025

THE LEAD—  The Salem State University women's volleyball team dropped a non-conference matchup against Gordon College, 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-15), Thursday evening at Twohig Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early in the first set, Salem raced out to a quick 8-3 advantage, highlighted by two Celia Carbone (Lynnfield, Mass.) service aces. However, Gordon pushed back and evened things at 10 behind a 7-2 stretch. From then on, the Fighting Scots extended their lead to eight (20-12) with a 10-2 run. Teagan Brideweser highlighted the run with two kills.
• Despite pulling within six (20-14) after a Gabriella Martinez (Peabody, Mass.) kill and Gordon error, the visitors outscored Salem, 5-2, and secured a 25-16 set win. 
• While Salem made it a 4-2 game after taking advantage of a Gordon error, the Fighting Scots pulled ahead 17-3 courtesy of a 13-1 surge. During the Gordon scoring run, Annika Schmitt chipped in three aces. The Fighting Scots ultimately closed out the second set, outscoring the hosts, 8-6, and earned a 25-9 set victory.
• In the third set, Gordon's offense from the second continued into the third as the Fighting Scots had an early 8-1 lead before Salem called a timeout. Coming out of the break, Salem pulled within five (10-5) after taking advantage of a Gordon attack error. 
• The visitors continued to keep Salem out of reach, and the Fighting Scots pushed ahead, 19-10, which led to another Salem timeout. After the break, the closest the Vikings would get was six (21-15) thanks to a 5-2 rally, but unfortunately, Salem would end up falling in the third set, 25-15, as Gordon scored the last four points of the frame. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Sabina Kamanda (Dracut, Mass.) led the Vikings offense with five kills.
• Carbone dished out a team-high nine assists Thursday.
• On the defensive end, Kailey Roche (Billerica, Mass.) posted 20 digs. With her 20 digs on the night, she became the latest Viking in program history to record 1,000 career digs.
• Haley Hutzler recorded a team-high seven kills for Gordon.
• Annika Schmitt finished with a game-high 15 assists. 
• Thursday's matchup marked the 10th meeting between the two programs. 

UP NEXT

• Salem hits the road for a doubleheader at VTSU Johnson on Saturday, September 20, starting at noon.