Salem vs. Meredith | October 8 | Varsity Gym | 12 p.m.
Pfeiffer vs. Meredith | October 8 | Varsity Gym | 2 p.m.
Salem vs. Pfeiffer | October 8 | Varsity Gym | 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Salem volleyball team rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win three straight sets and claim its 10th win of the season and third in USA South Conference play when it downed league foe Brevard by scores of 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-13 at Boshamer Gym on Tuesday, October 4th.
The Spirits, who won at least 10 wins for the ninth time in program history, were led offensively by the tandem of Aspen Bradley (20 kills) and Anna Rymer (13 kills). Bradley was efficient in her performance, committing just three errors in 43 attacks to finish with a .395 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Rymer limited herself to one error in 24 attacks, posting a team-high .500 attack percentage versus the Tornados.
Teammate Brooklyn Snow contributed nine kills for Salem in the victory, helping the team amass 60 kills and a .203 attack percentage. Also contributing to the offense's success against Brevard were setters Ashlyn Wood and Ashlee Peek, who came through with 27 and 22 assists, respectively.
Bradley was also a key figure in the Salem defense, making three solo blocks, two more than Snow and Ella Brameus. Brameus was one of four back row defenders with double-digit digs, coming through with a team-high 22. Macy Nelson had 15 digs for Salem, while Wood rounded out a double-double with 14 digs. Snow was also instrumental on defense with 10 digs for the Spirits.
TURNING THE THING AROUND
Salem head coach Barry Rymer has guided his team to 10 wins this season, marking the ninth time in program history that the Spirits have won double figure matches in a season. Rymer has matched former coach Kevin Troup, who served as the head coach of the Spirits from 2015-17, as the only head coach in program history to win at least nine matches from the season before.
In 2015, Troup's first year on the sidelines, his team finished with a 4-16 mark. The following season, Troup and his Salem squad earned 13 wins, including five at home and four in conference play, to finish 13-18. The same is true of Rymer, who posted one win in the 2021 campaign, has followed up with a 10-4 mark through the first 14 matches this season.
DEFENDING THE HOME TURF
The Spirits are 3-2 at Varsity Gym this season and are looking to win back-to-back matches for the first time since defeating Johnson & Wales (3-0) and Ferrum (3-0) in early September. Salem's last home match came on September 29th against Southern Virginia, with the Knights emerging in four sets.
ANALYZING THE AVENGING ANGELS
Meredith heads into the weekend with a 14-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 7-1 mark all-time at Salem College. The Avenging Angels have claimed the last six head-to-head meetings against Salem, since dropping a 3-1 contest on October 20, 2017. Since that point, Meredith has posted five 3-0 victories along with a 3-1 victory against Salem, which came on November 1, 2019.
Meredith (11-8, 4-3 USA South) has split it last six matches, since claiming a 3-0 win at Brevard on September 24th. The Avenging Angels have earned victories over Mary Baldwin (3-1) and Methodist (3-0) since that point, but at the same time suffered setbacks to Christopher Newport (3-0), Greensboro (3-2) and William Peace (3-1).
The Avenging Angels are led offensively by the duo of Hailey Long (217) and Lauren Bissette (184), who are the only players on the roster with double-digit kills. Long has reached double figure digs on 13 occasions, including a single-match season-high 25 in a clash with Greensboro on October 2nd.
Hannah Jo Jablonski, with 258 digs to her credit, tops the back row unit at an average of 4.10 digs/set. Meanwhile, Kenzie Moore leads the way in total blocks with 46, amassing team high's in solo blocks (18) and assisted blocks (28) along the way.
ANALYZING THE FALCONS
The Spirits are 4-4 in the all-time series with Pfeiffer, winning three of those contests at Varsity Gym. The last home victory came on October 30, 2019, when Salem emerged with a 3-1 win by scores of 25-19, 24-26, 25-14, 25-18. Since that point, Pfeiffer slipped past the Spirits with a 3-2 victory on September 21, 2021 and a 3-0 victory on October 14, 2021, which marked the last clash.
Pfeiffer enters the weekend on a two-match losing skid, dropping four of their last five matches along the way. The Falcons began a tough stretch on September 27th, suffering a 3-0 setback to William Peace, before falling by 3-0 scores at Bob Jones (Sept. 29), Southern Virginia (Oct. 1) and Methodist (Oct. 4). The lone victory, 3-1, came in a neutral site clash with Mary Baldwin on October 1st.
The individual leaders for the Pfeiffer offense are Madison Honeycutt, who has 189 kills, and Mattie Hinson, who has notched 111 kills, for the Falcons. Honeycutt is averaging 2.79 kills/set with 11 double-digit kill outings in 2022.
Gabby Edwards has anchored the back row for Pfeiffer with 267 digs (3.93 digs/set), while Faith Miller has stonewalled opposing hitters with 40 total blocks. Miller has the most assisted blocks (32) of any Falcon defender, while teammate Mattie Burris is tops in solo blocks with 12.
SPIRITS' STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Aspen Bradley responded from her most difficult performance of the season with her season-high in kills (20), a .395 attack percentage and recorded three solo blocks in a five-set win over Brevard on Tuesday evening. That outing allowed Bradley maintain her team-high in kills (173), kills/set (3.09) and attack percentage (.352).
Bradley joined teammate Anna Rymer, who finished with 21 kills against Johnson & Wales in the season opener, as the only two Spirits with 20 kills this season. They are the second set of teammates in Salem history to notch at least 20 kills in a match in the same season. The only other pair to achieve the feat was Kylie Taffer and Hillary McPhatter in 2014.
Rymer was also active offensively for the Spirits in the five-set win, delivering 13 kills (.500 attack percentage) along with four digs and two service aces. She is second on the team with 152 kills (2.71 kills/set) and is tied with Ashlyn Wood for the second-best attack percentage (3.27) for Salem.
Defensively, Salem got a lift from Ella Brameus against the Tornados. Brameus, who leads all Salem players with 207 digs (3.70 digs/set), reached the 20-dig plateau for the third time this season with 22 against the Tornados. Her other two 20-dig outings came against Huntingdon (23) and Mary Baldwin (21) for the Spirits.
Rymer anchors the front row for Salem with 36 total blocks, ranking second in solo blocks (13) and first in assisted blocks (23). Bradley tops the Spirits in solo blocks with 16 and is second on the unit in total blocks with 34.
