Salem at Brevard | October 4 | Boshamer Gym | 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
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.
HEADING BACK TO BREVARD
Tuesday evening will mark the second time that the Spirits volleyball team has traveled to Brevard, N.C., this season. Salem made its last trek to Western North Carolina on September 16-17, facing the combination of Bob Jones and Huntingdon at Boshamer Gym.
Both the Bruins and Hawks earned 3-1 victories against Salem in mid-September.
OFF TO A GREAT START
After splitting a pair of matches against Hollins and Southern Virginia last week, the Salem volleyball program is off to its second-best start in program history. The Spirits began the week with a 3-0 win against Hollins (Sept. 26) before falling by a 3-1 decision three nights later to Southern Virginia.
Salem, which is 9-5 overall and 2-2 in USA South Conference play, is off to the second-best start through 14 matches in program history. The only Salem team to get off to a better start was the 2017, which opened 10-4 through the same number of matches. The 2017 unit would go onto establish the best single-season record (21-12) in school history, the benchmark for home wins (10), road wins (six) and amass eight USA South Conference wins along the way.
That 2017 team would actually go onto a 12-4 mark, after starting 6-4 on the season, by virtue of a season-long six-match winning streak.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES WHEN FACING THE TORNADOS
Tuesday's match with Brevard marks just the third all-time meeting in program history. The two teams first faced off on September 13, 2017. Just under two years later, on September 6, 2019, the Tornados hosted Salem for the second-ever meeting.
Brevard captured the first clash between the two in five sets, emerging 23-25,17-25,25-22,25-22,13-15. Three years ago, when the Spirits made the trip to Brevard on September 6th, they evened the series with a 3-1 victory (27-25,25-20,19-25,25-11) of their own.
The trio of Taylor Moulton, Madelyn Chappell and Brooklyn Snow, who combined for 33 of the team's 51 total kills, played an integral role in helping the Salem volleyball team improve to 3-2 on the season with a 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-11 victory over Brevard on Friday, September 6.
Moulton, who led all Salem hitters with 13 kills (.267 attack percentage), was also responsible for 16 digs. Chappell reached double-digit kills (10), while contributing seven digs along and an assisted block. Snow rounded out double figure kill hitters with 10, adding two digs and a pair of assisted blocks to her total.
SPIRITS' STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Salem heads into the month of October with 652 team kills and a .231 attack percentage, led by the trio of Aspen Bradley (153), Anna Rymer (139) and Valeria Rosa Lopez (128) in kills. The Spirits, who are averaging 12.54 kills per set, have the aforementioned trio ranked among the Top-20 in kills in the USA South Conference, including Bradley, who is 12th, Rymer at 15th and Lopez in 20th.
Both Bradley and Rymer have been highly efficient in their performances throughout the season, ranking first and second for Salem with a .346 and .314 attack percentage, respectively. Another effective hitter for the Spirits is Ashlyn Wood, who owns a .313 attack percentage with 20 kills in 48 total attacks.
Wood has made an impact on the Salem offense with her setting skills, handing out a team-high 306 assists (6.00 assists/set). She and teammate Ashlee Peek, who has 193 assists (4.02 assists/set) to her credit, have played a key role in helping the team improve from its .092 attack percentage in 2021.
The Salem back row defense is being led by the trio of Ella Brameus (185 digs), Lopez (160) and Macy Nelson (154). Brameus has topped double figure digs in eight of her first 14 matches, including a single-match season-high 23 digs in a four-set clash with Huntingdon (Sept. 17). Exactly one week later she came through with 21 in a win over Methodist, resulting in her leading the team in digs.
Lopez is second in digs due in large part to recording double figures in both digs and kills on seven occasions throughout the 2022 campaign. In the four-set clash with Southern Virginia, Lopez established her season high in digs (20), while driving home 10 kills along the way.
Nelson has reached double figures on nine occasions, a team high, and in four of her last five outings. After missing the Huntingdon match due to illness, Nelson came through with 15 digs against Greensboro (Sept. 21), tallied 16 digs versus both Methodist and Mary Baldwin on Sept. 24 and was responsible for 12 digs in a four-set clash with Southern Virginia.
Rymer leds all front row players with 36 total blocks, converting 13 solo blocks along the way. Bradley has also stonewalled opposing hitters with 13 solo blocks, helping her to 31 total blocks on the slate. Abrielle Eckenroth is third on the unit in total blocks with 16, assisting on 14 blocks in 2022.
BREVARD HOSTING SIXTH MATCH OF THE SEASON
Brevard heads into its sixth home match of the 2022 season with a 2-13 mark and on a 13-match losing streak. The skid began on Friday, September 9th with a 3-1 setback to Maryville (Tenn.) and has resulted in six sweeps, including a recent sweep at the hands of Mary Baldwin on Saturday, October 1st.
The Tornados are led offensively by the combination of Kaitlyn Pressley (164 kills) and Makenna Parkins (125), posting just a .114 attack percentage as a team on the season. Teammate Logan Priddy leads the way in assists (225), allowing the Brevard offense to average 9.13 kills/set.
One of the top defensive performers for the Tornados is Bailey Lance, who has a team-high 182 digs (4.14 digs/set). Pressley is also active on the back row for Brevard with 120 digs, while Ashley Hoxit is third with 111 digs.
Parkins leads the way for the Tornados with 17 total blocks, accruing five solo blocks along the way. Kendall Rockstad is second on the unit with 14 total blocks, assisting on 13 blocks for the Brevard front row.