In his first season at the helm of the Salem volleyball program, head coach Barry Rymer's roster consisted of only 10 players. The roster makeup was three seniors, two juniors and five first-year athletes who had never played a collegiate match.
Injuries, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the constant wear-and-tear from practice put its limitations on matches and took its toll on Rymer's team throughout the course of the 2021 campaign.
However, a lot of things changed throughout the course of the fall and spring recruiting process since the Spirits ended their season on October 30th with a 3-2 victory over Mary Baldwin in Meisenheimer, N.C.
One of the most drastic changes was added depth—a lot of added depth. And that came in the form of 11 first year players and one sophomore, who happens to be Rymer's own daughter, joining the Salem volleyball program. The 12 newcomers, along with returnees Valeria Rosa Lopez, Brianna Moore, Nikita Sizemore, Macy Nelson, Taylor Alleyne and even Brooklyn Snow, who will be taking graduate courses at Salem this fall, are looking to make their impact on the program now and setting the stage for the future.
SIX PLAYERS OFFER FAMILIARITY WITH RYMER'S SYSTEM FROM 2021
The collection of Lopez, Moore, Sizemore, Nelson, Alleyne and Snow have a year of experience in Rymer's system heading into 2022. This knowledge of his philosophy and style can definitely make an impact as the 12 newcomers look to adjust themselves to collegiate play and academic course loads at Salem.
The quartet of Lopez (282), Snow (188), Alleyne (115) and Sizemore (66) led the Spirits in kills a season ago. Lopez eclipsed the double-digit kill mark on 15 occasions, including a single-match career-high 23 in a five-set clash with Ferrum on September 16th. She ended the season by notching four double-digit kill performances in her last five contests, driving home a team-high 19 in the victory over the Fighting Squirrels. Lopez was also a critical part of the defense by leading the way in digs (344) at a clip of 4.20 digs/set.
Snow returns to the court after battling through recovering from a knee injury in 2021, playing in all 24 matches (85 sets) along the way. With nine double-digit kill matches to her credit a season ago, Snow moved to eighth on the program's all-time kills list with 478 and was second on the team behind only Lopez. Snow's athleticism on the court also played a critical role in helping her teammates on the back row, where she came through with 208 digs, giving her 316 in her Salem career.
Alleyne made her presence felt in her first season for the Spirits by virtue of her hard-hitting kills and using her 5-foot-8 frame to cause 28 blocks (21 assisted blocks). In 21 matches, Alleyne had at least 11 where she delivered five kills, including a single-match season-high 16 in a five-set showdown with Methodist on October 27th. The Clearwater, Fla., native notched multiple in assisted blocks in eight matches for Salem, coming through with three blocks against Southern Virginia (Oct. 9) and Meredith (Oct. 21). Along with finishing with the second-most blocks on the team, she was tied with Snow for second-most service aces (10).
Sizemore provided the Spirits with 66 kills (1.03 kills/set) in 19 matches (64 sets), while posting 63 digs. Her best single-match kill outing of the season came in the season finale, where she delivered eight against Mary Baldwin, topping a previous high (six), while came against fellow USA South Conference rival Methodist (Oct. 18). Sizemore was responsible for at least five digs for the Salem defense on five occasions, including a single-match season-high 14 in a four-set clash with Mary Baldwin on October 9th.
Moore was the primary setter for Salem in 2021, handing out 451 assists (5.31 assists/set), posting six double doubles along the way. Her best stretch of the season came from September 16th through October 9th, where she handed out at least 34 assists in four matches. After setting her single-match career-high in assists (44) against Ferrum on September 16th, Moore had back-to-back 40-assist outings against Pfeiffer (Sept. 21) and N.C. Wesleyan (Sept. 25). Three matches later, in a clash with Mary Baldwin (Oct. 9), she emerged with 34 assists and 10 digs for Salem.
Nelson concluded her first season on the court for Salem by playing in all 24 matches (85 sets) and ranking second on the team in digs with 281 at a clip of 3.31 digs/set. The Walnut Cove, N.C., native, used her passion on the court to deliver 14 double-digit dig outings, including a single-match season-high 26 digs in a five-set affair with Methodist in October 27th. Nelson found her defensive rhythm for Salem in mid-October, posting six double-digit dig matches in a row against league opposition. She tallied 13 digs at Averett and followed that with 12 against Pfeiffer two days later on October 14th. After delivering 14 against N.C. Wesleyan and 15 at Greensboro in a doubleheader on October 16th, Nelson emerged with 17 digs at Methodist and 13 in a three-set match with Meredith.
RYMER RAMBLES THE RECRUITING CIRCUIT
Just as the Willie Nelson song aptly described, Rymer spent the weekends and off days during the season "On the Road Again." As a result, Rymer added out-of-state recruits from Illinois (Ella Brameus), Oregon (Aspen Bradley), Georgia (Ashlee Peek), Florida (Abrielle Eckenroth) and Virginia (Alysa Thombs). Rymer, a native of Charlotte, kept provided the combination of Anna Rymer, Jacie Jarvis, Addie Beck, Ashlyn Wood, McKenzie Tullock, LindaGrace York and Isabella Mann with the opportunity to continue their education at Salem College by playing in their native state of North Carolina.
Anna Rymer competed at Ferrum last season, ranking in the Top-5 of nine major statistical categories, including attack percentage (.290-1st), service aces (22-1st), total blocks (54-1st), solo blocks (9-1st), assisted blocks (45-1st), blocks/set (0.60-1st), kills (205-2nd), kills/set (2.28-2nd), total attacks (497-2nd). She managed double-digit kill performances on nine occasions. A highly-efficient hitter for the Panthers, Rymer established her single-match season-high in kills (17), while hitting .417, as part of a double-double that included 12 digs and six total blocks against Johnson & Wales on September 14th.
While Rymer was hitting the recruiting trail in the United States, the trio of Nelson, Snow and Alleyne were able to experience playing volleyball overseas as part of a program that was sponsored by Bring It Promotions. They competed alongside players from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and New Mexico, that ranged from the NCAA Division I, II and III ranks. The team was coached by Maryville's head coach Kandis Schram. They finished 2-2 in four matches over the course of the trip.
"I am very excited to have a nice mix of returners and first year players," said Rymer of his team makeup. "My big goals for 2022 were to increase the roster size and make us more competitive in the conference. I am very pleased with the recruiting class. They are going to be successful student athletes for Salem College. It was tough last year with a small roster, COVID, and injuries. I am excited to have a full roster and I am looking forward to having more competitive practices. It takes time to build a program, but I am thrilled about the direction we are heading in for this season."