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

Score:
Salem 3, Southern Virginia 2 (18-25, 16-25, 25-20, 33-31, 15-13)

Records:
Salem (20-9, 10-7 USA South) / Southern Virginia (14-16, 10-7 USA South)

Up Next:
Salem vs. Roanoke | November 4 | Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 12:00 p.m.
Salem vs. Mary Baldwin | November 4 | Varsity Gym | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 4:00 p.m.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Salem sophomore Ashlyn Wood delivered a match point service ace that completed not only a fifth-set comeback, but also a come-from-behind victory as the Spirits earned a 18-25, 16-25, 25-20, 33-31, 15-13 thriller over USA South Conference rival Southern Virginia on Wednesday evening at Varsity Gym.

Facing a 13-10 deficit in the fifth set after a service error by Nikki Stevenson, Salem took advantage of an Anna Rymer slam and three unforced errors by the Knights to grab a 14-13 lead. Wood calmly stepped into serve, focusing her attention on Southern Virginia's Jessica Ensley, who committed the match point error, completing a three-set rally by the Spirits, who won their 20th match of the season. It marks the first time in program history that Salem has had consecutive 20-win seasons and also the first time that the Spirits have two wins in the same campaign against Southern Virginia.

Wood, who handed out a team-best 26 assists to go along with 11 digs in the match, quarterbacked a Salem unit that accounted for 54 kills and a .172 attack percentage. Among those with double-digit kills for the Spirits was Anna Rymer, who posted a team-high 14 along with a .394 attack percentage.

Teammates Aspen Bradley and Valeria Rosa Lopez added 11 kills apiece, while Abrielle Eckenroth posted 10 kills in 33 total attacks, finishing with a .273 attack percentage.

Senior Macy Nelson anchored the Salem defensive attack with 21 digs, reaching the 20-dig plateau for the third time in her collegiate career. She was joined in double figure digs by the trio of Lopez (15), Wood and Jolina Bun, who tallied 10. Meanwhile, Rymer provided four blocks (three solo) on the front row.

First Set Recap
Breaking a six-all deadlock with a block from Brookelyn Madland, Southern Virginia eventually established a four-point lead via a kill from Madland in the opening set. The lead eventually grew to five, 14-9, but Salem continued to chip away until a series of miscues by the Knights drew the game even at 18-all. After a Knights' timeout, Madland delivered three service aces and used kills by Jiliane Pedersen and Sydney Bassett to earn the seven-point win.

Second Set Recap
The Southern Virginia attack continued to stifle the Salem offense in the second set, coming through with 15 saves and a .378 attack percentage in the nine-point victory. Grabbing an 8-3 lead early on, the Knights faced a challenge for the lead after two kills from Rymer and a slam by Ella Brameus, which trimmed the deficit to 15-13. Four kills down the stretch from Bassett, along with two Salem attack errors resulted in the Knights win.

Third Set Recap
Salem made some offensive transitions in the intermission, which allowed the Spirits to capitalize on two kills each by Lopez and Bradley, resulting in an 11-6 advantage following Brameus' slam. Clinging to a 13-12 lead, Bradley drove a kill past the Knights, followed by a service ace from Lopez and a subsequent slam from Eckenroth that helped the Spirits assume an 18-13 lead. Adalyn Raney put Salem at 20 points with a slam of her own, while Rymer and Lopez came through with two each down the stretch, resulting in the five-point win.

Fourth Set Recap
With momentum shifting in Salem's favor, the Spirits earned their first point on a service ace. Eckenroth stepped into serve and came through with two service aces, while forcing seven Southern Virginia miscues to grab a 12-1 lead. The Knights roared back, despite a service ace from Lopez, to pull to within three, 20-17. Eckenroth and Raney came through with kills, while Rymer made a block, pushing the Salem lead to 24-18. However, with Bassett in serve the Knights tallied six unanswered to pull even at 24. With the score changing on each possession, the game reached a 31-31 deadlock. Bassett committed a service error, giving the Spirits a one-point lead, before a set error from Sarah Hoofman evened the match at 2-2 with a 33-31 Salem victory.

Fifth Set Recap
Southern Virginia stormed out to a 4-1 lead early in the fifth frame following two slams from both Pedersen and Bassett. Lopez delivered a strike for the Spirits, but the Knights continued to lead 8-5 as the two teams switched sides. Bradley drove two kills by the Southern Virginia defense to ignite the Spirits and the crowd, before Eckenroth added a kill of her own that was followed by an unforced Southern Virginia error that made for a 12-9 contest. After the two teams traded one point each, Wood stepped into serve, which resulted in the final five Spirit points of the contest.