Salem vs. Mary Baldwin | October 15 | Riddle Center | Fayetteville, N.C. | 2 p.m.
Salem at Methodist | October 15 | Riddle Center | Fayetteville, N.C. | 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Payton Shiflet came through with a match-high 22 kills, posting a .362 attack percentage in the process, to lead Greensboro to a four-set victory over Salem when the two teams collided in USA South Conference action at Hanes Gymnasium on Wednesday, October 12th.
Aspen Bradley was the primary source of offense for the Spirits, emerging with 11 kills and a .333 attack percentage, while Valeria Rosa Lopez closed with nine. The pair of Ella Brameus and Abrielle Eckenroth came through with eight kills apiece, while Ashlyn Wood dished out a team-high 21 assists.
Salem, which saw its four-match winning streak halted in the setback, was without the defensive services of Macy Nelson. In her absence, McKenzie Tullock led the way with 18 digs, while Wood added 13 and Lopez closed with 10. Brameus also made an impact defensively with nine digs, while Anna Rymer emerged with a pair of solo blocks to highlight the front row for the Spirits.
FOUR-MATCH WEEK CONCLUDES IN FAYETTEVILLE
Salem volleyball is enduring one of its most grueling stretches of the season, which will come to a head in Fayetteville, N.C., this weekend. Due to matches being postponed because of Hurricane Ian, Salem's match against William Peace was moved to Tuesday of this week. That was followed by a contest against rival Greensboro on Wednesday and with a brief two-day break, Salem will take to the road to face Mary Baldwin (2 p.m.) and Methodist (4 p.m.) in Fayetteville, N.C. this weekend.
WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED THIS WEEK FOR THE SPIRITS
AGAINST WILLIAM PEACE
- The Salem volleyball team broke two trends on Tuesday evening in Raleigh, N.C. The Spirits halted a four-match straight set losing streak to William Peace and handed the Pacers more than a one-set loss this season. Both of those streaks came to an end as the Spirits claimed a five-set 25-16, 16-25, 13-25, 26-24, 15-13 victory over William Peace when the two collided at Hermann Athletic Center.
-It is the second time in program history that Salem has claimed a five-set win at William Peace. The last came on October 17, 2012.
-Macy Nelson, who topped the 20-dig plateau for first time this season and second time in her career, was one of five Salem defenders with double-digit digs. Her career high is 26 digs, which came against Methodist on October 27, 2021.
-Salem's 94 digs in the match tied for ninth-most in a five-set match in program history.
-Marks the sixth time in program history that Salem has won at least six conference matches in a single season.
-The Spirits won their fourth straight match behind a complete team effort versus the Pacers. Offensively, the duo of Aspen Bradley and Valeria Rosa Lopez provided the spark with 12 kills each.
AGAINST GREENSBORO
-Greensboro used a solid performance by Payton Shiflet (22 kills) to move to 20-7 in the all-time series.
-Aspen Bradley, who recorded 11 kills versus The Pride, has notched 15 double-digit kill performances, including five straight, dating back to 20-kill outing against Brevard on October 4th.
-McKenzie Tullock sparked the Salem back row with 18 digs, marking her second-best single-match performance in digs, when she tallied 21 against Huntingdon (Sept. 17).
- Brameus also made an impact defensively with nine digs, while Anna Rymer emerged with a pair of solo blocks to highlight the front row for the Spirits.
ANALYZING MARY BALDWIN
Saturday marks the second meeting of the Spirits and Mary Baldwin this season. The Fighting Squirrels took Salem to four sets in their first meeting of the season on September 24th.
Salem wrapped up that victory by posting at least a .300 attack percentage for the fourth time this season, finishing with a .320 mark against the Fighting Squirrels, after limiting itself to 14 miscues along the way. The trio of Aspen Bradley (11 kills), Valeria Rosa Lopez (11) and Abrielle Eckenroth (eight) led the way for Salem's offense in the victory.
Macy Nelson anchored the Spirits' back row with a team-best 16 digs, while Ashlyn Wood (eight) and Ella Brameus (seven) were also prominent among dig leaders. Bradley and Rymer recorded four assisted blocks each for the front row attack, while Lopez and Eckenroth closed the match with three assisted blocks apiece.
The Fighting Squirrels are 2-22 overall and 1-9 in the USA South Conference entering the weekend. Mary Baldwin has dropped its last four straight matches since defeating Brevard 3-0 on October 1st in Buena Vista, Va. Three of those losses came in straight sets at the hands of N.C. Wesleyan, Greensboro and Southern Virginia.
Rachel Christian tops the lineup in kills with 268, followed by Sydney Clarke, who has 181 kills to her credit for the Fighting Squirrels. The combination of Emily Penny (354 assists) and Leah Sherrill (347) have been the primary setters for the offense. Mary Baldwin has amassed 873 total kills this season (9.70 kills/set) along with a .110 attack percentage.
Soleil Rios Rolon is one of the primary defenders for the Fighting Squirrels, lead the way with 304 digs (3.45 digs/set), while Sherrill is second with 153 digs (1.74 digs/set). Teammates Megan Andrews and Jaci McAlwee have anchored the front row with 48 and 29 total kills, respectively, allowing Mary Baldwin to amass 93 total blocks through the first 24 matches this season.
ANALYZING METHODIST
Methodist and Salem are also meeting for the second time since September 24th, where Salem emerged with a four-set win.
In that clash, Aspen Bradley, who finished with a team-best 17 kills, led the way for Salem's offense, which tallied 61 kills and a .225 attack percentage. She was joined in double-digit kills by the duo of Anna Rymer (13) and Valeria Rosa Lopez (11). The offense was clicking on all cylinders due in large part to setters Ashlee Peek and Ashlyn Wood handing out 25 and 24 assists, respectively.
With the offense in rhythm, the defensive combination of Ella Brameus, who finished with 21 digs, Rymer (four assisted blocks) and Brooklyn Snow (three assisted blocks) limited Methodist to a .108 attack percentage.
The Monarchs are 9-11 overall and 4-6 entering the tri-match on Saturday afternoon. They have a 3-4 mark at home.
Methodist is led by Geneva Barriger and Jeanana Fowler in kills with 229 and 206, respectively. That duo has helped the Monarchs to 762 total kills and 10.44 kills/set as a unit. Hannah Hewett leads all Methodist setters with 642 assists, while Barriger has the team-high in service aces with 33.
Hewett is also an active defender for Methodist with a team-high 255 digs, 18 more than teammate Carrie Jordan, who has 237. Barriger is also among the Top-3 in digs for Methodist with 232 to her credit. Fowler leads the Monarchs in total blocks with 48, including a team-high 14 solo blocks along the way.
SPIRITS' STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Salem has won four of its last five matches entering the weekend with the lone setback coming on Wednesday evening in Greensboro. The Spirits have taken three five-set victories against Brevard, Meredith and William Peace along with a four-set win over Pfeiffer.
Aspen Bradley is one of five Salem hitters with at least 100 kills, leading the way with 221 (2.99 kills/set). Valeria Rosa Lopez is on the verge of 200 kills entering the weekend, slamming home 186 through the first 19 matches, while Anna Rymer is third on the unit with 172 kills. The Top-5 is rounded out by Abrielle Eckenroth (106 kills) and Ella Brameus (104) for Salem.
The Spirits' offense has been quarterbacked by the duo of Ashlyn Wood (429 assists) and Ashlee Peek (273 assists), resulting in 936 team kills (12.48 kills/set) and a .222 attack percentage this season.
Defensively, Salem has held the opposition to 881 kills (11.75 kills/set) behind a solid back row and front row effort. Brameus leads all back row defenders with 258 digs, topping the double-digit dig mark on 11 occasions. Also active is Lopez, who has 222 digs, and Macy Nelson, who is third on the unit with 214 digs. Lopez has 10 double-doubles by virtue of digs and assists this season.
Anna Rymer leads all front row defenders with 46 total blocks, accruing 19 a team-high 19 solo blocks along the way. Rymer, averaging 0.62 blocks/set, has six more total blocks than Bradley. Bradley has also reached double figures in solo blocks, posting 17 this season.