Salem at Southern Virginia | October 20 | Knight Arena & Stoddard Ctr. | Buena Vista, Va. | 6 p.m.
Salem vs. N.C. Wesleyan | October 21 | Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 6 p.m.
Salem vs. N.C. Wesleyan | October 22 | Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 12 p.m.
Salem vs. William Peace | October 22 | Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 4 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Salem volleyball avenged a five-set loss to Roanoke on September 9th with a decisive three-set victory (26-24, 25-16, 25-19), improving to 16-6 on the season, on Monday, October 17th at Varsity Gym.

The Spirits, who finished with 47 kills and committed just 11 miscues over the course of the match, posted a .321 attack percentage. The individual offensive leaders were Anna Rymer and Abrielle Eckenroth, who tallied 11 kills apiece, along with Valeria Rosa Lopez, who closed with 10 kills. Eckenroth was firing on all cylinders throughout the course of the match, posting a .435 attack percentage in 23 total attacks. Meanwhile, Rymer and Lopez finished with a .318 attack percentage.

Ashlyn Wood handed out a team-high 25 assists, while Ashlee Peek closed with 17 for the Spirits. Ella Brameus added five kills (.385 attack percentage) and Aspen Bradley drove home eight kills.

Defensively the Spirits got six assisted blocks, including three from Taylor Alleyne, who returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a broken ankle in the preseason. Rymer also positioned herself for three assisted blocks.

The back row was led by Brameus and Lopez, who shared the match-high in digs with 11. Macy Nelson also returned to the lineup for Salem, closing the match with nine digs.

THREE-DAY, FOUR-MATCH STRETCH AWAITS SALEM
For the second time in as many weeks the Salem volleyball team concludes the weekend with a flurry of matches. While Salem played both Mary Baldwin and Methodist in a tri-match a week ago, the Spirits have four matches in a three-day stretch ahead of them this weekend. The stretch begins with a clash against Southern Virginia on Thursday evening in Buena Vista, Va.

Salem returns home to face N.C. Wesleyan on Friday, October 21st at 6 p.m. in Varsity Gym, making up a match that was cancelled as part of Hurricane Ian that had originally been set to take place in Raleigh, N.C. The Battling Bishops remain in town to face Salem at Varsity Gym the following afternoon, as part of a tri-match being hosted at Salem that will also pit the Spirits against William Peace at 4 p.m.

SECURING A WINNING SEASON
By virtue of the 3-0 win over Roanoke on Monday, October 17th, Salem secured just its second winning season in program history. The Spirits, who are 16-6, have eight games remaining in the 2022 regular season.

It is the first winning season for Salem since Kevin Troup guided the 2017 team to a 21-12 mark, which coincidentally marks the only other time in program history that the Spirits have topped 20 wins in a single season.

Salem has had two .500 seasons over the course of the program's existence, dating back to 2008. Those came in 2012 under head coach Dana Wall, who finished 14-14, and in 2019 under former coach Bouaketh Chanthavisouk, who also finished with a 14-14 record.

TURNAROUNDS IN 2022
At the close of the 2021 volleyball season there were 22 programs across the NCAA Division III ranks who had two wins or less, including the Salem squad that finished with a 1-23 mark.

However, with the addition of 11 first year players and one sophomore, which came in the form of Anna Rymer, Salem has the biggest turnaround in the NCAA from a season ago—boasting a 16-6 record (+15 wins).

Only one other program, Belhaven, which finished 2-23 overall a season ago, has improved its win total by at least six wins. Belhaven is 8-14 in 2023. Additionally, none of those 22 programs with two wins or less has a winning record other than Salem in 2023.

NCAA TEAM WIN DIFFERENTIALS FROM 2021 TO 2022

SPIRITS' STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Through the first 22 matches of the season Salem has two players—Aspen Bradley and Valeria Rosa Lopez—with at least 200 kills. Bradley leads the unit with 254 kills (3.06 kills/set), topping the double-digit kill mark on 17 occasions, while Lopez is second on the team with 220 kills (2.75 kills/set) to her credit.

Teammate Anna Rymer enters the four-match stretch needing just three kills to become just the third Spirit to reach the 200-kill mark. Rymer is averaging 2.37 kills/set and has the third-best hitting percentage (.281), behind only Ashlyn Wood (.382) and Bradley (.344).

Wood has also made her presence felt with a team-best 498 assists (6.00 assists/set) on the slate, ranking second on the team in service aces with 34 (0.41 service aces/set).

Ella Brameus is one of three Spirits with at least 200 digs, leading the team with 293 (3.53 digs/set), topping double-digit digs on 14 occasions. Brameus has also been an integral part of the service game with a team-high 42 aces, moving her to 10th-most in a single-season in program history. She is three behind Olivia Newbern and Hannah Delcamp, who are tied for eighth with 45 and four away from Brittany Miller, who is in seventh with 46.

Lopez is second in that statistical category with 258 digs, amassing 12 double doubles by virtue of kills and assists. Macy Nelson is third in total digs (223), averaging 3.43 digs/set, which is second on the team. Another key defensive cog is Rymer, who tops all front row blockers with 53 total blocks and 20 solo blocks, 12 more than Bradley and 33 total blocks more than Brooklyn Snow, who has 20 total blocks.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA BREAKDOWN
Last time vs. Salem | Sept. 29: Salem's duo of Anna Rymer and Valeria Rosa Lopez tallied 10 kills apiece, but it was the trio of Courtney Pinkston (17 kills), Sydney Hopkin (13 kills) and Brenna Clyde (10 kills) that led Southern Virginia to a 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17) when the two teams collided at Varsity Gym on Thursday, September 29th.

The Knights have won nine of 10 matches since claiming a 3-1 victory over Salem on September 29th with the lone setback coming to Mary Washington. Four of those nine victories came by virtue of a 3-0 sweep.

Courtney Pinkston tops the Southern Virginia lineup with 368 kills (3.91 kills/set), while teammates Sydney Hopkin (232) and Brenna Clyde (222) have reached 200 kills apiece. Sage Matheny, who has dished out 528 assists, has been the primary quarterback to an offense that is averaging 16.14 kills/set and a .173 attack percentage.

Emma Steiger is one of the top defensive leaders with 510 digs (5.43 digs/set), while teammate Jilane Pedersen is the front row leader with 71 total blocks (28 solo blocks).

N.C. WESLEYAN BREAKDOWN
Last time vs. Salem | Sept. 9: The two units met in a non-conference clash at the Maroon Classic. The tandem of Anna Rymer (13) and Aspen Bradley (11) led the way for Salem in kills, as the Spirits posted a .360 attack percentage. While that pair was the primary source of offense, the defense was led in digs by Ella Brameus (nine) and Valeria Rosa Lopez (eight). Salem came through with 25-16, 25-12,25-18 victory over the Battling Bishops.

Like Salem, the Battling Bishops compete against a USA South Conference foe on Wednesday evening when they head to Methodist. N.C. Wesleyan (7-14, 3-8 USA South) is just 3-6 on the road this season and has dropped its last four outings.

The Battling Bishops have three players with 200 kills, including Michaela Seawell, who leads all hitters with 296 (2.72 kills/set). The others are Lauren Weaver (291) and Sydney Barnwell (269), while Sloan Martin delivered a team-best 986 assists.

Defensively, Kira Kristjanson is leader in digs with 460 at a clip of 4.14 digs/set. Also a playing a key role in the back row have been Aubrey Nicholson (277 digs) and Seawell (261). Lauren Weaver has stonewalled opponents with a team-best 95 total blocks, making 47 solo blocks along the way.

WILLIAM PEACE BREAKDOWN
Last time vs. Salem | Oct. 11: The Salem volleyball team broke two trends when the two clashed 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.

William Peace has posted three wins in its last four matches, including back-to-back victories over Brevard (3-0) and Pfeiffer (3-1) after dropping a 3-1 decision against Southern Virginia on October 15th. The Pacers are 21-6 overall, posting a 10-2 mark in league play, and are 6-3 on the road.

Offensively, the trio of Shelby Cooper (301), Hannah Collier (221) and Georgia Grace Anderson (206) lead the WPU offense in kills. Mackenzie Russell leads all setters with 906 assists (10.07 assists/set), leading the offense to 17.35 kills/set and a .241 attack percentage.

The defensive duo of Russell and Logan Moore, who have 312 and 349 digs, respectively, have played a key role in limiting opposing offenses to 12.85 kills/set and a .138 attack percentage. The front row is led by Landis Limon's 79 total blocks, which include a team-high 36 solo blocks.