Site: Winston-Salem, N.C. / Varsity Gym

Scores:
Salem 3, N.C. Wesleyan 0 (25-18, 25-20, 26-24)
Salem 3, N.C. Wesleyan 1 (26-28, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18)

Records:
Salem (10-5, 2-3 USA South) / N.C. Wesleyan (1-11, 0-4 USA South)

Up Next:
Salem vs. Methodist | September 26 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 7 p.m.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The Salem volleyball team wrapped up its extended stay in Rocky Mount, N.C., with a pair of wins against N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday, September 23rd. The Spirits opened the afternoon with a 3-0 triumph (25-18, 25-20, 26-24) before coming through with a 3-1 victory (26-28, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18) in the second set to move to 10-5 overall.

Valeria Rosa Lopez capped off the first match of the afternoon with 14 kills and a .345 attack percentage after committing just four errors in 29 total attacks, helping the Spirits cap off the sweep of N.C. Wesleyan 25-18, 25-20, 26-24. Teammate Abrielle Eckenroth was also active for the Salem offense with seven kills, posting a .429 attack percentage, with just one error.

The tandem of Anna Rymer (13 assists) and Ashlyn Wood (18) helped Salem notch 39 total kills and a .269 attack percentage as a unit. Rymer, who notched three assisted blocks, was also active on the back row with 12 digs, while Lopez and first-year Victoria Stratmann tallied 10 digs.

Sophomore Aspen Bradley overcame a difficult first match to post a team-high 16 kills, making five errors in the process, to finish with a .344 attack percentage for the Spirits. Joining Bradley in double figure kills were Rymer (15) and Lopez (11) as Salem tallied 62 kills and a .281 attack percentage after limiting itself to 14 errors.

The setting combo of Rymer (27) and Wood (20) reached at least 20 assists for Salem's offense, while Rymer led the back row with 18 digs. Lopez was also active on the back row with 16 digs and first-year libero Jolina Bun contributed 15 in the match.

With her 38 assists in the two contests, Salem's Ashlyn Woods now has 1,000 career assists. She becomes the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 assists in a career, joining Hannah Delcamp, Chelsea Jones and Sarah Maher on the list.

Match 1: Salem 3, N.C. Wesleyan 0

First Set Recap
The Spirits established their offense early in the contest, posting 13 kills and a .379 attack percentage, while limiting N.C. Wesleyan to eight kills and just a .062 attack percentage. Lopez provided four kills for the Salem offense, which established an 8-3 lead following a slam from Bradley. The Battling Bishops fought back to pull within four, 9-5, however five errors opened the door for a 17-9 lead by Salem. Timely kills from the duo of Wood and Adalyn Raney, coupled with a block that included Bradley and Raney, allowed Salem to move in from 24-15. N.C. Wesleyan scored three late points, before Salem capped off the win with a service error.

Second Set Recap
With its offense clicking on all cylinders, Salem steamed out to an 8-1 lead following a trio of Rymer service aces. The Battling Bishops retaliated with four points, trimming the deficit to three, before the pair reached a 16-all deadlock came on a kill by Lopez. Lopez followed with a kill and a service ace before a slam by Bradley resulted in a 20-18 Salem lead. The Spirits capitalized on two kills from Lopez down the stretch to assume the 2-0 lead on a five-point victory.

Third Set Recap
Fifteen of Salem's 26 points in the third frame came by virtue of kills, as the Spirits capped off the match with a .239 attack percentage. Three service aces from the tandem of Eckenroth and Rymer helped Salem establish an 11-3 advantage in the opening stages of the set. Eckenroth drove a pair of kills past the Battling Bishops' pushing the lead to six, before a rally highlighted by two Sloan Martin service aces trimmed the margin to 14-14. N.C. Wesleyan gained control of the lead, 23-19, before the trio of Eckenroth, Rymer and Victoria Stratmann drove home a series of kills to force a 23-all deadlock. Lopez provided Salem with the lead and the tandem of Eckenroth and Rymer converted a block to notch the ninth win of the slate.

Match 2: Salem 3, N.C. Wesleyan 1

First Set Recap
Looking to avenge the loss in the first match of the day, N.C. Wesleyan grabbed a 5-1 lead in the first set of the second match on a slam from Aajah Vazquez. Three kills by Bradley, along with slams from Eckenroth and Stratmann allowed Salem to chip away at the deficit and pull even at 11. The Battling Bishops regained the lead with a trio of unforced errors, but Salem took advance of kills from Rymer and Bradley to move in front 17-16. The game would endure 10 ties over the next 19 points, reaching a 26-all deadlock, before a service ace by Desiree Walker provided N.C. Wesleyan with the two-point decision.

Second Set Recap
Salem not only ramped up its offensive numbers, coming through with 14 kills, but the Spirits also limited N.C. Wesleyan to a .111 attack percentage in the second set. After enduring five ties, before reaching an 11-all deadlock, an assisted block by Eckenroth and Rymer coupled with a slam from Rymer sparked the Spirits offensively. Bradley would add three kills among Salem's next seven points to help provide a 20-16 advantage. The Battling Bishops narrowed the margin to two, 20-18, before two kills from Lopez and one from Rymer evened the match with a four-point Salem victory.

Third Set Recap
Salem grabbed control of the third set early and never looked back, using three kills by Bradley and two by Stratmann to lead 13-4. N.C. Wesleyan answered with a run of its own, highlighted by kills from Vazquez and Fiona Egan, forcing the Spirits to burn a timeout with a 15-10 lead. Rymer, Bradley and Raney penetrated the Battling Bishops' defense with kills, assuming a 21-14 lead in the process. Raney added two kills down the stretch to help the Spirits close out the five-point triumph.

Fourth Set Recap
The Spirits wrapped up their 10th win of the season by posting 18 kills and a .326 attack percentage in the final game. Three kills from Lopez, along with timely slams from Raney and Stratmann helped build a 7-5 lead for Salem in the fourth. Rymer took over in serve, while Bradley added three kills for the offense, to help the Spirits cushion their lead, 16-10, forcing a N.C. Wesleyan timeout. The first-year trio of Raney, Stratmann and Bun, who came through with a service ace, helped extend the Salem lead to 21-12. Salem completed its victory with a series of slams from Wood, Eckenroth and Lopez down the stretch to move to 10-5 overall and 2-3 in league action.

SALEM NOTES
-With her 38 assists in the two contests, Salem's Ashlyn Woods now has 1,000 career assists. She becomes the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 assists in a career, joining Hannah Delcamp, Chelsea Jones and Sarah Maher on the list.