Site: Virginia Beach, Va.
Scores:
Virginia Wesleyan 3, Salem 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-21)
Salem 3, Bridgewater 2 (29-27, 25-15, 21-25, 13-25, 15-8)
Records: Salem (3-1) / Virginia Wesleyan (3-0) / Bridgewater (3-1)
Up Next:
Salem vs. Roanoke | September 8 | Roanoke College Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 6 p.m.
Salem vs. Ferrum | September 9 | Roanoke College Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 12 p.m.
Salem vs. Hollins | September 9 | Roanoke College Tournament | Roanoke, Va. | 2 p.m.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — 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.
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 3, SALEM 0
First Set Recap: The Marlins' offense was firing on all cylinders in the opening set, recording 18 of the 25 points by virtue of kills, by virtue of a .444 attack percentage. Knotted at five-all, following a service error by the Spirits, Virginia Wesleyan took the momentum of the match with a 12-2 run, highlighted by two kills from Hannah Smith and a pair of service aces by Niya Nash. The Spirits picked up their 10th point with a slam from Bradley, but two kills each from Smith and Emma Claytor gave the Marlins the victory.
Second Set Recap: The offensive momentum carried over into the second frame for the Marlins, who came through with 19 kills (.368 attack percentage), while Salem tallied 10. Deadlocked at five, Virginia Weslayan scored seven of the next 12 points to move in front by two. However, slams by Bradley and Lopez pulled the Spirits even at 13-all. The game reached a climatic 19-19 tie before five kills from Virginia Wesleyan, including two by Claytor, proved to be the difference.
Third Set Recap: Salem had its best-hitting set of the match in the third, notching 13 kills, while Virginia Wesleyan had 16 and a .227 attack percentage. After an 8-4 run to open the set by the Marlins, kills from Rymer coupled with a service ace from Lopez evened the contest at nine. Salem briefly grabbed a 12-11 lead, but Virginia Wesleyan followed with a 5-0 run to forge in front by four. A second push by the Spirits managed to even the contest at 21. Virginia Wesleyan delivered the final four points of the game to complete the four-point victory.
SALEM 3, BRIDGEWATER 2
First Set Recap: The two teams battled to five ties in the first 34 points, reaching a 17-all deadlock with a slam from Bradley on a pass from Wood. Wood followed with a service ace of her own, as Salem eventually moved ahead 20-18. Bridgewater retaliated with a run of its own, pushing the game into extras with a 25-25 deadlock on an unforced error. Bradley picked up the 28th point for Salem with a kill and the decisive point came on a service ace.
Second Set Recap: The Spirits had their best hitting percentage (.206) of the match in the second frame, resulting in 11 kills. Lopez keyed several early points for the Spirits in serve, notching two aces, while Rymer slammed home a key kill. Lopez tacked on three kills late in the match, while Bun penetrated the Eagles' defense with two service aces to extend the margin to 2-0 Salem.
Third Set Recap: Salem seemingly had the third in its grasp, leading 8-3, but despite a timeout by Bridgewater, Salem managed to maintain a 15-10 lead with a slam from Abrielle Eckenroth. The Eagles began their rally following that point, scoring 11 of the next 17 points to move in front 21-20 after a series of slams from Rachael Meyers. Salem remained scoreless throughout the rest of the set, falling by four.
Fourth Set Recap: The momentum shifted in the direction of Bridgewater in the early stages of the fourth set as well, allowing the Eagles to grab a 19-6 lead with a block from the tandem of Meyers and Brooklyn Williams. The Spirits were never able to find their rhythm in the game, despite slams from Lopez, Rymer and Eckenroth as Bridgewater evened the match at two-all.
Fifth Set Recap: The two teams battled throughout the beginning of the fifth set, reaching a seven-all deadlock with a service ace from Lopez. The Salem senior eventually gave her unit a 10-7 lead, with a key block from Rymer, forcing a Bridgewater timeout. Rymer followed with a kill and a service ace down the stretch to give Salem its first five-set win of the campaign.
SALEM NOTES
-(vs. Bridgewater) 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.
- The triumph versus Bridgewater 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.