>Opponents:
Salem at Pfeiffer | March 29 | Misenheimer, N.C. | Knapp Tennis Center
Columbia College vs. Salem | March 31 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Bert Lain Tennis Center
>SPIRITS SET TO TAKE ON PFEIFFER, COLUMBIA COLLEGE
The Salem tennis team faces a two-match in three-day stretch, which includes a USA South Conference clash with Pfeiffer on March 29th in Misenheimer at the Knapp Tennis Center.
The Spirits, who are 1-1 in conference action, will look to hand Pfeiffer its first USA South Conference loss of the season. Pfeiffer is 6-1 overall and is one of three programs in the league with a perfect mark, along with Southern Virginia and N.C. Wesleyan, who are also 1-0.
Two days later, on Monday, March 31st, the Spirits will host Columbia College (S.C.) at the Bert Lain Tennis Center. Salem is 1-2 at home this season, following a win over Mary Baldwin, and will host the Koalas for the second time in program history and first time since October 29, 2017.
>SALEM OPENS USA SOUTH PLAY WITH WIN OVER MARY BALDWIN
For just the third time in program history, since joining the USA South Conference in 2016, the Salem tennis team opened league play with a victory after posting a 7-0 win over Mary Baldwin at the Bert Lain Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon.
The triumph marks the second 7-0 decision for the Spirits, who downed Hollins by the same margin on March 7th. Salem opened the match with a win in No. 2 doubles as the tandem of
Chloe Koons and
Daisy Ortiz Mendoza posted a 6-0 win over Lauren Byrnes and Gabrielle Wyatt. In the clash of No. 3 doubles, which resulted in a 6-1 win for the Spirits, the pair of
Mariana Faint and
Abrielle Eckenroth downed Harmony Crawford and Kelsey Bantel for their second doubles win of the slate.
Even with the doubles point secured,
Adley Keim and
Cymone Crump posted a 6-0 win for Salem against Gretchen Lutz and Deanna Chapman in first flight singles.
Koons added her second win of the day, second in singles on the season, with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Byrnes when the two met in No. 5 singles. Salem then moved its lead to 3-0 in the match after Keim downed Lutz in No. 1 singles by scores of 6-0, 6-0.
The Spirits clinched the team win after Faint posted a 6-1, 6-2 win over Chapman when the two collided in No. 3 singles. That margin moved to 5-0 in the match for Salem as Eckenroth made quick work of Crawford in No. 6 singles by scores of 6-1, 6-0.
Salem claimed its sixth point of the match as Crump came through with a decisive 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bantel in No. 2 singles action. Mendoza's victory (6-3, 6-1) in No. 4 singles action helped Salem earn its second win, both by 7-0 margins, on the season.
>SPIRITS FIGHT HARD IN LEAGUE CLASH WITH METHODIST
Methodist capitalized on a pair of three-set victories to remain undefeated in the all-time series against Salem as the Monarchs claimed a 6-1 win. Victories by the Spirits' doubles tandems of
Adley Keim and
Cymone Crump as well as
Abrielle Eckenroth and
Mariana Faint provided the lone point at the Gene Clayton Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
Faint and Eckenroth put the Spirits up early with a 6-4 win over Veva Willocks and Madelyn Parker. However, the Monarchs retaliated to secure a doubles win by Annabelle Subirats and Katie Sechrist, who emerged 6-1 over
Daisy Ortiz Mendoza and
Chloe Koons in No. 2 action.
With the team point on the line, Keim and Crump closed out a 7-5 win over Emma Hulicki and Caitlin Tihanovich in No. 1 doubles to secure the first point of the match for the Spirits.
Willocks used a 6-0, 6-0 win over Koons to even the team score at one-all in the match. Sechrist followed with a victory for the Monarchs in No. 4 singles, completing a 6-1, 6-0 win against Mendoza. The Monarchs moved their lead to 3-1 behind a Tihanovich triumph (6-0, 6-2) against Faint in the battle of No. 3 singles.
Parker's two-set victory (7-5, 6-4) over Eckenroth in the battle of No. 6 singles, proved to be the team-clinching point for Methodist. Subirats stretched the margin to four points, 5-1, with a three-set win over Crump by scores of 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8).
The final Methodist point of the match came from No. 1 seed Hulicki, who overcame an opening set loss to Keim to come away with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
>CRUMP CAPTURES SALEM'S SECOND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONOR IN 2025
For the second time this month a member of the Salem tennis team earned recognition from the USA South Conference office. On Monday afternoon, Salem's
Cymone Crump was named USA South Rookie of the Week after a series of outings against Mary Baldwin and Methodist.
Crump joined teammate
Chloe Koons, who earned USA South Rookie of the Week honors on March 10th, as the only Salem tennis players to receive an award from the league office this season. Crump and Koons become the first Salem first year players to win the USA South Rookie of the Week in the same season. Crump becomes the third different Spirit to earn the distinction in program history, joining Koons and
Alana Bridges, who captured the honor in 2023.
Crump won three points last week for the Spirits, including a pair of doubles outings, as Salem posted a 1-1 mark in USA South Conference action.
The Middletown, N.Y., native was responsible for two points in Salem's 7-0 win over Mary Baldwin on March 18th. Crump and doubles partner
Adley Keim opened the match by claiming a 6-0 win over Gretchen Lutz and Deanna Chapman in No. 1 action.
Later that afternoon, against the Fighting Squirrels, Crump posted a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Kelsey Bantel in No. 2 singles play. Those two points helped Salem open USA South Conference play with a team victory for just the third time in program history since joining the league in 2016.
Crump and Keil moved their doubles mark to 5-1 on the season as they took down the Methodist tandem of Emma Hulicki and Caitlin Tihanovich in a battle of No. 1 teams on Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, N.C.
With the team point on the line against Methodist, Keim and Crump closed out a 7-5 win over Emma Hulicki and Caitlin Tihanovich to secure the first point of the match for the Spirits.
Crump suffered her only setback of the week in No. 2 singles, falling in a three-set clash to Methodist's Annabelle Subirats, who claimed the 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) win.
>CRUMP, KEIM LEAD SALEM IN INDIVIDUAL WINS IN 2025
First year
Cymone Crump and sophomore
Adley Keim lead the way for the Salem tennis team in wins in 2025.
Crump leads all Salem players with a 5-2 record, claiming two of those wins as the No. 2 seed. She is a perfect 3-0 as the Spirits' third seed and is 1-1 when facing USA South Conference opposition.
Keim, who is 4-3 on the slate, has served as the No. 1 seed in all seven matches this season. The trio of
Abrielle Eckenroth,
Chloe Koons and
Daisy Ortiz Mendoza all have two wins for Salem on the season.
Crump and Keim also share the distinction of being the top doubles tandem for Salem in 2025. The two are 5-1 on the season, all as the No. 1 seed, and are a perfect 2-0 when facing league teams.
Eckenroth and teammate
Mariana Faint are second on the unit with a 3-0 mark.
>SCOUTING REPORT: PFEIFFER
All-Time Series Record vs. Pfeiffer: Pfeiffer leads the all-time series 9-0
The Spirits make the trek to Pfeiffer looking to claim their first-ever win in the all-time series. Pfeiffer moved its record to 9-0 in the series after a 5-2 win in the fall slate.
The Falcons have surrendered just two points in a single match in the head-to-head series on just two occasions. The first came in a narrow 5-4 win on September 17, 2022 and the most recent instance was in a 7-2 triumph on September 30, 2023.
Pfeiffer has won two of its last three outings, including a pair of 6-1 wins against Penn State Harrisburg and Methodist on March 14th and 18th, respectively. The Falcons fell by a 7-0 margin in their last match on March 26th at Averett.
The top singles performers for Pfeiffer this season include Riley Isley (7-2) and Fanny Apostolou (7-3). Isley has competed as the No. 6 (2-0), No. 3 (2-0) and No. 5 (3-2) seed for the Falcons. Apostolou has served as Pfeiffer's No. 2 (2-0), No. 3 (2-1) and No. 4 (3-2) seed during the course of the season.
Isley has teamed with Sydney Cohen on eight occasions in doubles for Pfeiffer, posting a 6-2 mark as the No. 2 doubles team.
>SCOUTING REPORT: COLUMBIA COLLEGE
All-Time Series Record vs. Columbia College: Columbia College leads the all-time series 2-1.
Monday's clash with Columbia will mark the fourth in the all-time series that dates back to the 2011-12 season. The Koalas claimed an 8-1 win in that match, which took place in South Carolina.
The Spirits hosted Columbia for the first time on October 29, 2017, falling by a score of 9-0. It would be seven years before the two would meet again, which took place on March 12, 2024. Salem earned a 5-4 win in the Palmetto State capital city that afternoon.
Like Salem, Columbia will be on the road for a match on Saturday as the Koalas take on Pikeville (Ky.). The Koalas are 7-5 on the slate, claiming three wins in March against Johnson (Tenn.) (4-3), Montreat (4-3) and Southwest Virginia CC (3-0).
