Site: Raleigh, N.C. / Hermann Athletic Center (William Peace)

Scores:
William Peace 3, Salem 1 (25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 25-18)
(21) Mary Washington (25-15, 25-20, 25-17)

Records: Salem (7-5, 0-3 USA South) / William Peace (4-5, 2-0 USA South) / Mary Washington (8-0)

Up Next:
Salem vs. Brevard | September 19 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 6 p.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Valeria Rosa Lopez capped off an impressive hitting display against William Peace and 21st-ranked Mary Washington with a combined 34 kills, eight errors and a .347 attack percentage, while contributing 18 digs in a tri-match on Saturday, September 16th in Raleigh, N.C.

Lopez opened the afternoon by amassing a single-match season-high 19 kills (.341 attack pct.), 10 digs and two service aces in a four-set match against USA South Conference foe William Peace. She followed that with a 15-kill, eight-dig performance against Mary Washington, where she committed just four errors en route to a .355 attack percentage.

Aspen Bradley also had a solid outing against William Peace, driving home nine kills in an error-free performance as she posted a .391 attack percentage. Teammates Anna Rymer and Abrielle Eckenroth were also key for Salem against the Pacers, notching eight and seven kills, respectively. Ashlyn Wood contributed a team-best 16 digs, while Rymer came through with 13. Victoria Stratmann reached double-digit digs with a single-match season-high 10 digs for the Spirits.

Salem, playing against its third ranked opponent in program history, was led by Lopez in kills with 15. The trio of Rymer, Eckenroth and Stratmann tallied four apiece for the Spirits. Wood dished out a team-best 18 assists, while adding six digs for the Spirits. Lopez led the back row with eight digs while Eckenroth contributed seven digs.

William Peace 3, Salem 1

First Set Recap
The two USA South programs had seven ties over the first 34 points of the contest, reaching a 17-all deadlock with a slam by Eckenroth. The Pacers netted five unanswered points, highlighted by kills from Madeline Simpson and Georgia Grace Anderson, before Rymer drove a strike past the William Peace defense. Lopez came through with two of the final three points down the stretch, but the Pacers took the opening frame.

Second Set Recap
The Spirits struggled to maintain their offensive consistency established in the first set, posting just a .186 attack percentage, while William Peace retaliated with 16 kills and a .342 attack percentage. Deadlocked a three-all, following a solo block by Eckenroth, William Peace notched six of the next eight points to move in front 9-5. Kills from the trio of Rymer, Lopez and Bradley helped Salem remain within striking distance, 15-12. Three kills from Hannah Collier and a service ace by Maegan Bryiski delivered William Peace the eight-point victory.

Third Set Recap
Salem enjoyed its best hitting performance of the match in the third set, recording 14 kills (.306 attack percentage) along the way. Stratmann provided the Spirits with a 6-5 advantage with her solo block, while Lopez and Bradley added kills to eventually stretch the margin to 12-9. Eckenroth and Stratmann kept the Spirits in front with timely kills before points from Rymer, Lopez and Bradley provided Salem with a 24-19 lead. A brief rally by William Peace trimmed the deficit to 24-22, but an unforced error allowed Salem to earn the third set victory.

Fourth Set Recap
William Peace regained its previous offensive form, highlighted by 17 kills (.318 attack percentage), in the final set. Bradley recorded three kills in Salem's first seven points, but the Pacers owned a 10-7 lead. Lopez kept the Spirits close with a pair of kills, 14-11, before three unanswered points by William Peace stretched the lead to six. With Wood in serve, kills from Rymer and Bun eventually pulled Salem to within four, 19-15, but the Pacers tallied six kills in the final 12 points to post the 25-18 win.

(21) Mary Washington 3, Salem 0

First Set Recap
Salem owned a 3-1 lead in the early stages of the opening set, but a 13-1 run by the Eagles, highlighted by four kills from Jordan Lyons and two service aces via Brooke Cunningham resulted in a 14-4 lead by Mary Washington. Rymer and Lopez combined for three kills by Salem, who helped pull Salem to within 16-11, before the Eagles' defense tallied three consecutive solo blocks en route to a 22-13 lead. Stratmann and Lopez added kills down the stretch, but the Eagles prevailed by 10.

Second Set Recap
The second set concluded with 15 kills (.227 attack pct.) and just five errors for Salem, but Mary Washington countered with 17 kills (.400 attack pct.) in the frame. The Spirits notched three kills in their first six points, but Mary Washington's Caitlyn Burch converted three kills of her own to provide her unit with a 12-6 lead. Slams from Stratmann, Eckenroth and Lopez helped push Salem to double digits, 14-10. Salem continued to push the Eagles, capitalizing on three kills from Lopez and two each by Rymer and Wood, resulting in an 18-17 lead by Mary Washington. Jordan Lyons powered her team to victory with two kills in the final eight points, allowing for a five-point victory.

Third Set Recap
After regrouping to start the third, Salem owned a 2-1 lead on a slam from Lopez, but the lead was brief as the Eagles had an 8-2 run to forge in front 9-4. Stratmann found her rhythm with two kills, while Eckenroth and Lopez contributed one each, to help Salem move to within one, 12-11. The Eagles retaliated with an 8-3 run of their own, capped off by a block from Burch, to grab a 20-14 lead. Lopez and Eckenroth peppered in two kills down the stretch, but it was back-to-back kills from Burch that kept the Eagles undefeated with an eight-point triumph.