Site: Virginia Beach, Va.

Scores:
Salem 3, Southern Virginia 1 (25-15, 25-20, 14-25, 25-15)
Salem 3, Thiel 0 (25-13, 25-4, 25-12)

Records: Salem (2-0) / Southern Virginia (0-1) / Thiel (0-2)

Up Next:
Salem vs. Virginia Wesleyan | September 2 | Virginia Wesleyan Tournament | Virginia Beach, Va. | 11 a.m.
Salem vs. Bridgewater (Va.) | September 2 | Virginia Wesleyan Tournament | Virginia Beach, Va. | 3 p.m.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — 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.

SALEM 3, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA 1
First Set Recap: Looking to avenge the team that ended its 2022 campaign, Salem established itself early with 13 kills among the 25 points in the opening set, posting a .344 attack percentage. The two teams battled through three ties to reach a six-all deadlock before a series of kills from Rymer and Jacie Jarvis provided the Spirits with a 10-6 advantage. Jarvis added two more points by virtue of kills, providing Salem with a 16-11 lead, keeping the distance between the two teams. Leading 21-15 late in the set, Salem used a Lopez service ace along with three unforced errors to complete the win.

Second Set Recap: Southern Virginia's offense was held in check in the second set, managing just nine kills and a 0.059 attack percentage. Salem grabbed a 7-2 lead with a service ace by Reece Campbell, stretching that margin to 13-10 with a kill from Bradley and an error by the Knights. Southern Virginia trimmed that deficit to one, 17-16, before Brameus drove home a kill and the tandem of Rymer and Jarvis combined for a block, resulting in a 20-16 lead. Brameus added three kills down the stretch to help push the lead to 2-0.

Third Set Recap: Southern Virginia had its best performance of the match in the third set, notching 13 kills and a .265 attack percentage. The Knights stormed out to a 10-2 lead, following two service aces from Ruby Blamires. The lead eventually ballooned to 10, 16-6, following a service error by Southern Virginia. Bun put Salem into double figures with a service ace of her own, before a Knights' run resulted in the 25-14 win.

Fourth Set Recap: Looking to close out the victory, Salem capitalized on a series of points with Bun in serve, which included two aces, grabbing a 7-2 lead. With a seven-point lead, 12-5, Salem moved the margin to 10, 16-6, with a slam from Bradley. Bradley teamed with Abrielle Eckenroth and Rymer as the lead extended to 22-13. A strike from Wood, coupled with unforced Southern Virginia errors, provided the decisive points down the stretch.

SALEM 3, THIEL 0
First Set Recap: Salem posted 15 kills in the first set, finishing with a .500 attack percentage in the process. The Spirits snagged an early 6-1 lead, following a series of kills from Brameus, Bradley and Wood. Lopez and an unforced error put the Spirits in double figures, 10-6, before a 9-6 run, capped off by an Eckenroth slam resulted in a 19-12 lead. Salem surrendered just one point down the stretch, while using a service ace from Campbell along with two kills by Lopez and Rymer to posted the 25-13 win.

Second Set Recap: For the second time in as many sets, Salem reached double-digit kills (10), while positing a .429 attack percentage. Brameus singlehandedly provided the Spirits with the first 13 points of the second set, delivering two service aces, while Lopez added three kills. The margin grew to 19-1, before an error gave Thiel its second point. Rymer came through with two kills down the stretch to help the Spirits post the 21-point win.

Third Set Recap: Salem wrapped up the decisive third set with 11 kills, committing just five errors, as the Spirits had a .240 attack percentage. In similar fashion to the second set, Salem grabbed a 9-3 lead in third set following a series of kills from Lopez, Bradley and Eckenroth. Rymer managed to stretch the margin to 16-7, following a kill and two attack errors by Thiel, midway through the match. Tullock placed a service ace past the Thiel defense, while teammates Lopez, Rymer and Eckenroth delivered kills to complete the Friday sweep for Salem.

SALEM NOTES
-The Spirits earned their eighth win in a season opener in program history, first-ever against Southern Virginia, boasting an 8-7 all-time mark in season openers. The victory over the Knights marked the third time in program history that Salem has collected a win in the opening match of the season, equaling a mark by the 2018 and 2019 units.