Site: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Score: Southern Virginia 3, Salem 1 (25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17)
Records: Salem (9-5, 2-2 USA South) / Southern Virginia (8-6, 3-1 USA South)
Up Next: Salem at Brevard / October 4th, 6 p.m.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— 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.
Rymer finished off the match with a .325 attack percentage, committing just two miscues, while Lopez recorded her seventh double-double of the slate after notching a match-high and season-high 20 digs. Also instrumental on the offensive end for the Spirits was Abrielle Eckenroth, who came through with nine kills and a .450 attack percentage after finishing the evening without an error.
Ashlyn Wood delivered 27 assists to lead the way for the Salem offense, which finished the contest with a .161 attack percentage. Defensively, Lopez led the way with 20 digs, while Ella Brameus contributed 19 digs to go along with five kills and two service aces. Macy Nelson closed with 12 digs, while Aspen Bradley contributed three assisted blocks in the match.
FIRST SET RECAP
Southern Virginia grabbed the momentum of the match early and streaked out to a 5-1 before a kill from Eckenroth resulted in the first Salem point. Southern Virginia continued its solid play, grabbing a four-point advantage, before the set reached an 11-all deadlock. Three ties later, with the match knotted at 19, a by the Southern Virginia combination of Pinkston and Jilane Pederson provided the Knights a lead they would not relinquish. The Knights took advantage of two service aces from Tatum Matheny to close out the five-point win.
SECOND SET RECAP
Salem came into the second set with a strong showing from Eckenroth, who came through with two kills as the Spirits established a 6-3 lead. The Knights responded to even the set at seven, marking the first of nine ties over the next 26 total points. After a final climatic tie at 21, Pinkston delivered two kills down the stretch to help the Knights emerge victorious.
THIRD SET RECAP
Salem stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the third set after an attack error by the Knights. Eckenroth added two kills during an offensive outburst for the Spirits to forge in front 9-4. The lead eventually ballooned to seven, 12-5, with a kill off the hand of Lopez. Lopez and Eckenroth kept Salem in front in the latter stages with a series of timely kills, resulting in a 22-15 advantage. Despite a brief SVU run, that trimmed the deficit to four, but Salem closed out the set with a three-point win.
FOURTH SET RECAP
The offensive momentum for the Spirits carried over into the early stages of the fourth, grabbing a 4-1 lead after a service error by Pinkston. Salem remained on track offensively with kills from Rymer, Lopez and Eckenroth, moving in front 10-6. A 7-3 rally by the Knights pulled the set even at 13, before a 6-1 run by SVU provided the Knights with a 19-14 advantage. Pederson and Hopkin came through with kills down the stretch to result in the 3-1 victory.
SALEM NOTES
-Salem earned its first set victory in the all-time series with the Knights in the third frame.
- Rymer finished off the match with a .325 attack percentage, committing just two miscues, while Lopez recorded her seventh double-double of the slate after notching a match-high and season-high 20 digs.
