Women's Volleyball Falls to Emmanuel, 3-0

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 0 at Emmanuel College, 3 (25-9, 25-19, 25-17)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (11-1)
Salem State University Vikings (5-8)

Location: Boston, Mass. - Jean Yawkey Center

Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025

THE LEAD—  In a battle between two non-conference foes, the Salem State women's volleyball team fell to Emmanuel College, 3-0, Wednesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early in the first set, Salem grabbed a quick 2-0 lead thanks to back-to-back kills from Sabina Kamanda (Dracut, Mass.). However, Emmanuel stormed back and took the lead, doubling up the Vikings, 6-3, thanks to a 6-1 run.
• Salem chipped into the deficit and made it a 6-4 game after a Saint error, but the hosts separated themselves, doubling up the Vikings again, going up 12-6. From then on, the hosts pulled away thanks to a 10-1 stretch, which made it 22-7. Emmanuel then closed out the first set by topping Salem, 25-9.
• The Vikings jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Saints error and kills from Kamanda and Gabriella Martinez (Peabody, Mass.). Emmanuel would continue to linger around throughout the set, and after being down 11-9, the Saints took their first lead of the set, 12-11.
• Salem responded and tied things back at 12 with another Kamanda kill, but Emmanuel gave themselves breathing room with a 4-0 run to go up 16-12. The Vikings would not go quietly as the squad pulled within two points (18-16) behind a 4-2 rally, highlighted by a Keira Doherty (Woburn, Mass.) ace. Despite the late rally, the Saints closed out the second set on a 7-3 run for the 25-19 win.
• The third set started the same as the second, as both sides tried to get momentum over the other. After Ariana Barrows (Danvers, Mass.) made it a three-point game (9-6), Emmanuel once again separated itself from Salem with an 8-3 stretch and went up 17-9. The Vikings would get as close as six (21-16), but unfortunately, the Saints ended up securing the final set, outscoring the Vikings 4-1, for a 25-17 set victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Kamanda led the Salem offense with a game-high nine kills Wednesday evening. 
• Celia Carbone (Lynnfield, Mass.) dished out a team-high 15 assists.
• Isabella Marquez led the Saints with eight kills. 
• Kason Huynh dished out 18 assists for the hosts. 
• Wednesday's matchup marked the ninth time the two programs squared off, and the Saints hold the series lead, 7-2.

UP NEXT

• Salem returns home Saturday, September 27, when the squad takes on Framingham State at 11:00 a.m.