Salem Volleyball Opens Season With a Statement, Then Shows Its Fight Against Sullivan
September 4, 2026
The Salem Lady Tigers volleyball team has only two matches under its belt, but if head coach Mackenzie Stoner’s message to her team is any indication, this season is going to be about much more than wins and losses.
Through two nights of volleyball, Salem has already shown both sides of what a young season can bring — the excitement of a dominant opening-night victory and the disappointment of coming up short against a strong Sullivan team.
More importantly, the Lady Tigers have shown signs of the kind of team they are working to become.
And according to Stoner, that may be the most important thing of all.
Salem Opens With a Statement
Salem opened the 2026 season at home Tuesday night hosting St. James, and the Salem Lady Tigers wasted little time making their presence known.
In the JV contest, Salem swept St. James in convincing fashion, winning 25-7 and 25-12 to kick-off the season. The Varsity picked up where the JV left off and had a dominant performance in their sweep 25 - 7, 25 - 5, and 25 - 15.
But for Stoner, the final score wasn't what stood out most. It was how her team played.
“The girls came ready to COMPETE, and it was so fun to watch them trust the work we’ve been putting in day after day,” Stoner said.
That work showed up in the details.
Salem followed the ball to the line. The Tigers worked to keep their hips behind the ball. They were intentional about splitting the court on free balls, and their setters communicated well while working to get all of their hitters involved.
Those may not be the things that always show up in the biggest numbers on a stat sheet, but they are the things coaches notice.
And Salem's serving and serve receive were particularly impressive.
The Tigers finished with 29 aces and served at a 91.4 percent success rate.
Stepping Up
Sophomore Paisley May led the way with six kills, seven aces and six digs. She also hit .625 for the match. Senior Emma Schlag added a team-high seven kills, while senior Trista Dooley and May each finished with six kills. Junior Audrey Green added six aces of her own.
But if there was one area that really caught Stoner's attention, it was serve receive.
“And the biggest highlight of the night for me was our serve receive,” she said.
Stoner pointed out that while not every first pass was perfect, Salem continually found ways to make the ball better and get it to a hitter.
“That is growth. That is trusting the work. And that is exactly what we have been asking them to do.”
A Character Moment
There was also a moment away from the numbers that may have said even more about the team Salem is becoming.
After a miscommunication between senior Allie Walters and sophomore Maddie Mercer, Walters immediately encouraged Mercer, reassured her and helped her focus on the next ball. The two continued communicating and working together throughout the set.
Stoner called it a perfect example of what being a great teammate looks like — turning a mistake into a learning opportunity and making each other better.
That's culture... and Salem was just getting started.
Sullivan Provides a Different Test
Thursday night brought a much different challenge.
After opening the season with a dominant sweep, Salem welcomed Sullivan to town. This time, the Lady Tigers found themselves on the other side of a three-set match.
Sullivan took the varsity match 25-15, 25-18 and 25-13.
The freshman match was a battle of its own. Salem grabbed the opening set 26-24 before Sullivan answered with a 25-17 win. The deciding set went down to the wire, with Sullivan taking it 15-13. The Salem freshman team also showed plenty of fight in what was essentially a two-point deciding set.
The JV Tigers provided a bright spot, coming back to defeat Sullivan 20-25, 25-15 and 15-11.
For the varsity team, however, the night ended with a loss.
But Stoner wasn't interested in allowing the scoreboard to define what she saw.
“The Lady Tigers came into tonight’s matchup against Sullivan ready to prove something and they did just that,” she said.
There was grit.
There was fight.
There was determination.
And perhaps most importantly, there was belief.
“From the court to the bench, every girl embraced her role,” Stoner said. “Every point was met with encouragement. Every mistake was met with a next-ball mentality.”
That mentality is going to be important as Salem moves deeper into the season.
Stepping Up
Sophomore Paisley May was once again singled out by her coach after an impressive night, continuing to show the potential she displayed in the season opener.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Sullivan match came after the final point.
In the locker room, one of Salem's captains made a statement that may tell you everything you need to know about the mindset of this team. “I want a rematch against Sullivan at districts.”
That's not the mentality of a team that believes the story ended with a loss.
It's the mentality of a team that believes it has unfinished business.
Brick by Brick
There is a long way to go in the 2026 season.
There will be wins that feel great. There will be losses that hurt. There will be nights when everything clicks and nights when the Tigers have to fight through mistakes and adversity.
That's high school athletics.
But through the first two matches, Salem has already given its fans a glimpse of something worth watching. They've shown they can dominate when they execute. They've shown they can serve aggressively. They've shown they can compete for every ball.
And against Sullivan, they showed they aren't going to fold when things don't go their way.
Stoner summed up the team's mindset perfectly. “We’re not done. We’re not backing down. We’re going to keep putting in the work, keep trusting the process, and keep building this thing brick by brick.”
That's a pretty good description of where the Salem volleyball program sits right now.
The foundation is being built. The work is being put in.
And while the Tigers may still have plenty of room to grow, the early signs suggest this is a team that intends to make that growth together.
Next Up
The next opportunity comes Tuesday when Salem returns home to take on Eminence in JV and varsity action.
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