Opponents:
Salem vs. Randolph | September 8 | Roanoke Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 4 p.m.
Salem at Roanoke | September 8 | Roanoke Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 4 p.m.
Salem vs. Ferrum | September 8 | Roanoke Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 4 p.m.
Salem vs. Hollins | September 8 | Roanoke Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 4 p.m.

RECAP OF LAST WEEKEND'S VIRGINIA WESLEYAN TOURNAMENT
September 2: The Salem volleyball team opened the 2023 slate at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament with a pair of wins over Southern Virginia (3-1/ 25-15, 25-20, 14-25, 25-15) and Thiel (3-0 / 25-13, 25-4, 25-12), marking the third time in program history the Spirits open the slate with a 2-0 mark.

Salem's well-balanced attack in the four-set win over Southern Virginia resulted in the program's first-ever triumph over the Knights. Aspen Bradley led all hitters with nine kills and a .208 attack percentage, while the Valeria Rosa Lopez, Ella Brameus and Anna Rymer tallied six kills apiece. Rymer led all hitters with a .286 attack percentage.

Defensively, first year Jolina Bun highlighted the back row with 17 digs, adding three service aces, with Lopez contributing 14 digs. Ashlyn Wood spearheaded the Salem offense with 19 assists, resulting in 38 total kills.

In the nightcap versus Thiel, Lopez exploded for 11 kills in 17 total attacks, posting a .529 attack percentage. Bradley came through with seven kills (.462 attack pct.) and Ella Brameus added five kills (.308 attack percentage), leading the way for a unit that tallied 36 total kills and posted a .389 attack percentage.

Both McKenzie Tullock and Lopez were responsible for seven digs, while Wood handed out 16 assists to go along with six digs.

September 3: Salem volleyball staved off a two-set rally to earn a five-set victory over Bridgewater in the afternoon match of the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament by scores of 29-27, 25-15, 21-25, 13-25, 15-8. The triumph marks the first time that a Spirits' volleyball team has opened the season with three of four wins in an in-season tournament in program history.

Junior outside hitter Anna Rymer delivered a team-high 15 kills, posting a .278 attack percentage, joined by Valeria Rosa Lopez (12) and Adalyn Raney (10) with double-digit kills. Aspen Bradley narrowly missed double figure kills, notching nine, as Salem posted 54 as a team.

First year Jolina Bun highlighted the back row with 16 digs, twieo more than Ashlyn Wood, while Lopez capped off a double-double with 13 digs. Reece Campbell put together a solid outing with 14 assists and 12 digs. The defensive tandem of Rhymer and Raney were active on the front row with two assisted blocks apiece.

Salem faced a tough contest in the opening match of the day against tournament host Virginia Wesleyan, who emerged with a 25-14, 25-20, 25-21 victory. Offensively, Valeria Rosa Lopez led the way with 10 kills (.240 attack percentage), while Aspen Bradley came through with nine. Anna Rymer drove home seven kills for the Spirits.

Lopez was also active on defense with 12 digs, one day after becoming the third Spirit in program history with 1,000 digs in a career. Teammates Jolina Bun and Abrielle Eckenroth had seven digs apiece for Salem, while Ashlyn Wood led the unit with 25 assists.

BUN BRINGS HOME USA SOUTH ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS
After sparking the Salem defensive efforts with 41 digs (2.93 digs/set), handing out 12 assists and finishing the weekend tied for most service aces (eight), the Spirits' Jolina Bun was named USA South Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday, September 4th.

Bun is the fourth different Salem first year to claim the honor, joining the likes of Taylor Moulton (2016), Maggie Hawks (2017) and Aspen Bradley (2022).

Bun opened her collegiate career with a team-high's in digs (17) and service aces (three) against Southern Virginia on Friday, September 1st. She led the way for a Salem defensive effort that tallied 65 digs and held the Knights to a .110 attack percentage, resulting in the first-ever win against Southern Virginia in program history. In the afternoon session, against Thiel, Bun again came off the bench and tallied two assists, one service ace and one dig.

When Bun and her teammates returned to the court on Saturday, September 2nd, she posted seven digs and two assists in a three-set clash with tournament host Virginia Wesleyan. However, she followed that performance with a 16 digs, five assists and four service aces in a five-set triumph over Bridgewater.

WEEKEND AHEAD FOR THE SPIRITS
This weekend presents the Spirits with the opportunity to open the season with a 7-1 mark, which would mark the best start in program history.

Salem's best start through eight matches came in the 2022 campaign, where the Spirits opened 6-2 with triumphs over Johnson & Wales, Randolph, N.C. Wesleyan, Randolph, Hollins and Ferrum during a seven-day span.

The best start prior to the 2022 slate for Salem was in 2017, where Salem began 5-3 over the course of the first eight matches. Those victories included wins against Eastern Mennonite, Mary Baldwin, Piedmont, Hollins and Roanoke.

ALL-TIME SERIES WITH ROANOKE COLLEGE TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
Salem returns to the Commonwealth of Virginia for a second consecutive weekend to face the quartet of Randolph, Roanoke, Ferrum and Hollins over the two-day stretch of September 8th and 9th.

RANDOLPH: The Spirits own a 4-1 lead in the all-time series, winning four straight in the series all by a 3-0 margin. The streak began with a 30-28, 26-24, 25-19 victory at Randolph on September 7, 2016. The two teams met twice a season ago with Salem posting a 25-9, 25-12, 25-22 win on September 7th and followed with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-22 victory over the WildCats three days later.

Randolph began the 2023 campaign with a strong 3-1 record after defeating both Waynesburg and Roanoke on Friday, September 1st at the Cougar Classic. The WildCats returned to the court on Saturday, September 2nd, to complete the two-day, four-team tournament and suffered a setback to Bob Jones (3-2) and followed with a four-set triumph over Piedmont in Danville, Va.

Head-to-Head Series vs. Randolph

ROANOKE: The Spirits own a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with Roanoke, splitting the 2022 meetings with the Maroons claiming a five-set (25-22,20-25,25-22,24-26,6-15) victory in the first clash. Salem avenged the earlier loss with a 26-24, 25-16, 25-19 decision at Varsity Gym on October 17th. The Spirits grabbed the first-ever meeting between the two programs on September 9, 2017, earning a five-set victory by margins of 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13.

The Maroons enter the tournament with a 3-2 mark, winning three of their last four outings, including a five-set victory at Greensboro on Tuesday evening. Roanoke opened the 2023 Cougar Classic with a four-set loss to host Averett before following with wins over Piedmont and Waynesburg before closing with a loss to Bob Jones on September 2nd.

Head-to-Head Series vs. Roanoke

FERRUM: The former USA South Conference foes have squared off seven times in program history with the Panthers owning a slight 4-3 edge. Last season, in the lone match between the two units, Salem came through with a decisive three-set win (25-17, 25-16, 25-9). That broke a two-match losing skid to the Panthers, who swept the 2021 series with wins on September 7th and September 16th. The two previous victories by the Spirits came in 2017, by margins of 3-1 (September 22) and 3-0 (October 14).

Ferrum comes into the tournament with a 2-0 mark, claiming wins at Carolina University and Paine on September 2nd.

Head-to-Head Series vs. Ferrum

HOLLINS: With six straight victories in the head-to-head series, including two in 2022, the Spirits own a 7-6 lead over Hollins. Salem has claimed four of its last six wins by 3-0 margins, including a 25-9, 25-12, 25-18 decision over September 26th. Sixteen days prior, the Spirits capped a 3-1 victory over Hollins at the Maroon Classic by scores of 22-25,25-23,25-8,25-17.

Hollins completed the opening weekend of play at the 2023 Cougar Classic, hosted by Averett, by falling in four contests to the likes of Waynesburg, Bob Jones, Piedmont and Averett between September 1st and 2nd. Hollins' season continued with a five-set setback to Mary Baldwin on Tuesday evening in Staunton, Va.

Head-to-Head Series vs. Hollins