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

Score:
Meredith 3, Salem 1 (25-11, 26-24, 22-25, 25-21)

Records:
Salem (14-7, 6-5 USA South) / Meredith (14-6, 8-2 USA South)

Up Next:
Salem vs. Greensboro | October 12 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Varsity Gym | 6:00 p.m.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Five Salem hitters drove home at least five kills, including senior outside hitter Valeria Rosa Lopez, who tallied a team-best 12, but it was a sharpshooting Meredith squad, which posted a .372 attack percentage, that prevailed with a four-set win (25-11, 26-24, 22-25, 25-21) when the two teams met in Varsity Gym on Monday evening.

The best percentage hitters for the Spirits on the evening were Abrielle Eckenroth (8 kills / .412 attack percentage) and first year Adalyn Raney, who came through with five kills and a .385 attack percentage. The pair, along with Anna Rymer and Aspen Bradley, who tallied seven kills apiece, led the way for the Salem offense that posted a .242 attack percentage.

Ashlyn Wood, who notched seven digs and a team-best 17 assists, was among the Spirits' defensive leaders. Jolina Bun was also active with eight digs, while fellow first year Victoria Stratmann added five digs and two kills in the clash. Bradley made her presence felt on the front row with three solo blocks, while Rymer contributed two.

First Set Recap
The Avenging Angels offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the course of the opening set, grabbing a 14-8 lead behind three kills each from Lauren Bissette and Emma Duncan. Hannah Jo Jablonski stretched the margin to 10, 19-9, following a block from Sara Dees with a service ace of her own. Caitlyn Russell drove home two kills down the stretch, while Bissette added a slam of her own, to give Meredith a 25-11 victory.

Second Set Recap
Both teams posted a .300 attack percentage in the second frame, Salem posting a .300, while Meredith countered with a .333. The Avenging Angels took a commanding 10-4 lead, capitalizing on an unforced error, but Salem evened the game with six unanswered points, capped off by a block from Rymer. With Stratmann in serve, and Lopez driving home three kills, Salem moved in front 15-11. However, Meredith scored nine of the next 14 points, drawing even at 20. Four ties later, knotted at 24, a service ace by Jablonski provided Meredith with the two-set advantage.

Third Set Recap
Lopez stepped up with a three kills in the third set, while the Spirits limited their errors to five, resulting in a .312 attack percentage. Salem battled through seven ties, reaching a 19-all deadlock, before Ella Brameus drove home a pass from Rymer to give the Spirits a one-point advantage. Consecutive errors stretched the lead to three for Salem, 24-21, before Wood slammed home the game point to result in a 25-22 lead.

Fourth Set Recap
Meredith wrapped up the match with a four straight .300 hitting percentage in the set (.393), while Salem came through with 12 kills and a .300 attack percentage. Tied at 10-all, following a Brameus service ace, Meredith scored four of the next five points to forge in front by three. Salem rallied with Rymer in serve, evening the game at 14, but the back-and-forth battle continued as the Avenging Angels retaliated from a three-point deficit to come even at 16. Meredith broke a 19-all deadlock with slams from Emma Duncan Dees and despite slams down the stretch from Rymer and Eckenroth, Meredith emerged with the four-point victory.