Greensboro vs. Salem | Wednesday, September 21st | 7:00 p.m.
Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C.
LAST TIME OUT
Salem wrapped up a two-day, two-match weekend in Brevard, N.C., by dropping a pair of 3-1 contests to Bob Jones and Huntingdon after keeping its record at home perfect (2-0) with a three-set victory over Ferrum on September 13th.
SALEM vs. GREENSBORO
Salem will clash with Greensboro for the 26th time in program history on Wednesday evening and 10th time as a member of the USA South Conference.
Greensboro has an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series, however the Spirits have claimed two wins at Varsity Gym. The first win in Winston-Salem, N.C., which also marked the first win by the Spirits in the head-to-head series, came on September 9, 2015. In that five-set match, Salem prevailed 25-20,13-25,27-25,17-25,15-13.
Salem's most recent home victory over The Pride came on October 5, 2019, when the Spirits had a dominating 3-0 win by scores of 28-26,25-22,25-21. The Spirits last triumph (3-1) over Greensboro came 21 days later at Hanes Gymnasium in the Gate City, when Salem emerged 25-21,14-25,25-20,25-22.
Since that point, Greensboro has claimed three wins over the Spirits, including two 3-0 victories a season ago.
SALEM STATS WATCH ENTERING GREENSBORO MATCH
Two Salem players, Aspen Bradley and Anna Rymer, enter Wednesday's match on the doorstep of 100 kills on the season. Bradley needs just one kill to reach the century mark, while Rymer is six shy of the feat. Teammate Valeria Rosa Lopez, who has double-digit kills in five matches this season, is 18 kills from 100 for Salem.
Salem's offense, which is averaging 12.67 kills/set and a .230 attack percentage, has been quarterbacked by the tandem of Ashlyn Wood and Ashlee Peek. Wood leads the way with 197 assists, while Peek has handed out 124 assists on the slate.
First year Ella Brameus, who has put together three double-digit dig outings in a row, has ascended to the team lead in digs (114). That is nine more than Lopez, who has 105 digs on the season. Lopez, who also has three double-digit dig outings in as many matches, is responsible for four double-doubles (kills/digs) in 2022.
SALEM IN USA SOUTH OPENERS
The Spirits are 3-2 in their USA South Conference openers, dating back to the 2016 campaign when Salem joined the league.
The three victories have come in all forms—at home, on the road and at a neutral site. The first win in program history in a USA South Conference opener came at Varsity Gym against Methodist on September 21, 2017, where Salem emerged in four sets by scores of 22-25,25-21,27-25,30-28.
The following season, Salem began league play against Mary Baldwin on September 22, 2018 in Raleigh, N.C., at a tri-match hosted by William Peace. The Spirits picked up their second-ever USA South Conference opener by sweeping Mary Baldwin (25-21, 25-7, 25-8).
The winning streak in conference openers reached three straight on September 25, 2019 in Fayetteville, N.C., against Methodist. It was there that Salem earned a 25-21,25-21,24-26,25-21 four-set win against the Monarchs.
The two setbacks in USA South openers came in 2016 (vs. Meredith) and 2021 (at Pfeiffer).
BRAMEUS CLAIMS USA SOUTH DEFENSIVE POW
Salem first-year Ella Brameus claimed the volleyball program's second league award this season and became the Spirits first USA South Defensive Player of the Week since the 2018 campaign when she received the accolade in an announcement on September 19th.
Brameus joins Aspen Bradley, who was named USA South Rookie of the Week a week ago, as recipients of a league's weekly honors at this point of the 2022 campaign. Brameus became the first Spirit to receive Defensive Player of the Week honors since Maggie Hawks earned the distinction on September 3, 2018. Hawks is a three-time winner of the award, winning it twice in 2017 on September 11th and September 25th.
Brameus' performance on the court last week resulted in a total of 53 digs (4.82 digs/set) and the first three-match stretch of double-digit dig outings of her collegiate career. Along with her impact on the Salem defense, Brameus came through with 13 kills for the Spirit offense.
Last week began with a 3-0 sweep of Ferrum, where Brameus closed with 11 digs. The Chicago, Ill., native joined Valeria Rosa Lopez, who finished with match-high 16 digs, in limiting the Panthers' offense to a -.042 hitting percentage as Salem picked up its sixth win of the slate.
Brameus continued her solid play on the back row in Salem's clash against Bob Jones in Brevard, N.C., finishing with a team-high 19 digs, while driving home six kills on Friday, September 16th. The following morning, Brameus closed out her best single-match dig outing of the season against Huntingdon, coming through with 23 digs and five kills.
Brameus and teammate McKenzie Tullock, who emerged with 21 digs, led the way for a Salem defense that amassed 90 digs in the clash with the Hawks.
