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

Scores:
Salem 3, Roanoke 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19)
Salem 3, Mary Baldwin 0 (25-7, 25-16, 25-8)

Records:
Salem (22-9, 11-7 USA South) / Roanoke (15-12) / Mary Baldwin (2-27, 0-18 USA South)

Up Next:
Salem at William Peace | USA South Conference Tournament | Raleigh, N.C. | Tuesday, November 7

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — At the conclusion of a match that featured both Roanoke and Mary Baldwin, three milestones took place for the Salem volleyball program. Among them included Valeria Rosa Lopez notching 1,000 career kills; Ella Brameus finishing with the second-most service aces (10) in a single match, which came against Mary Baldwin; and the Spirits recording their 22nd victory of the season—a program single-season record.

The Senior Day festivities marked the final regular season match for Valeria Rosa Lopez, Brianna Moore, Macy Nelson and Nikita Sizemore. At the conclusion of the day, the Spirits earned the fifth overall seed in the USA South Conference Tournament. That will pit Salem against William Peace, in Raleigh, N.C., for the first round matchup.

Salem opened the day by making quick work of Roanoke, earning a three-set victory (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) after posting a .242 attack percentage. Lopez closed out the match with 13 kills, posting a .333 attack percentage, while Aspen Bradley added nine and Abrielle Eckenroth came through with seven.

Defensively, Salem was led on the back row by Macy Nelson and Lopez, who tallied 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Meanwhile, Anna Rymer stonewalled the Maroons' offense with two solo blocks and five assisted blocks.

Lopez and Brameus' performances highlighted the three-set victory over Mary Baldwin (25-7, 25-16, 25-8) with their individual performances. Lopez drove home 14 kills, posting a season-best .600 attack percentage, and along the way became the third player in program history with 1,000 career kills. She also became the second player in Salem history, along with Taylor Moulton, to have at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.

Meanwhile, Brameus capped off a double-double performance with 13 digs and 11 service aces. Her 11 service aces mark the second-most in a single match in program history. She was four behind the single-match record holder, Hillary McPhatter, who tallied 15 in a clash with Carolina University on September 13, 2014.

The Spirits, who posted a .434 attack percentage on the match, due to 41 kills and five miscues, set the single-season mark for victories (22). That eclipsed the 2022 mark of 21. The .434 attack percentage is the fifth-best in a three-set match in program history.

Salem 3, Roanoke 0

First Set Recap
Slams from Ella Brameus and Nikita Sizemore put Salem in the lead, 11-6, but the Spirits managed to stretch the lead to seven with a block from Lopez and Rymer. Bradley put the Salem at 20 points with a block of her own, making for a 20-12 contest, while Rymer, Bradley and Sizemore added kills down the stretch to make for a nine-point win.

Second Set Recap
After falling behind by three points early, Salem fought back to even the score at five-all. Two kills from Eckenroth, coupled with three services from Rymer, the Spirits held a 10-5 advantage. Bradley highlighted the Salem offense with two slams, pushing the lead to 15-9, but a rally by the Maroons trimmed the deficit to four, 23-19, late. Rymer picked up a point for Salem with a solo block while a service error decided the frame and provided Salem with the four-point victory.

Third Set Recap
After four ties in the first 16 points, resulting in an eight-all deadlock, Roanoke assumed a 12-9 lead with a slam from Ryanna Clark. Salem retaliated with a run of its own, with Nelson in serve, and capitalized on a pair of slams from Adalyn Raney and one from Sizemore to regain the advantage, 21-15. Sizemore and Eckenroth delivered critical kills down the stretch, while Rymer and Bradley teamed for a block to deliver Salem's 21st win of the season.

Salem 3, Mary Baldwin 0

First Set Recap
Salem exploded for 11 kills and committed just one error to finish with a .435 attack percentage in the opening set. Leading by a slim one-point lead, 5-4, Salem received slams from Sizemore and Rymer to grab an 11-5 lead. A kill from Eckenroth put Brameus in serve, where she delivered six points, helping Salem earn the 25-7 win.

Second Set Recap
With a 4-2 lead early in the opening set, Brameus again took over in serve and helped the Spirits move in front by six with two kills from Rymer and one from Eckenroth. The Chicago, Illinois, stepped back into serve and added two more service aces, allowing Salem to assume a 22-11 lead. Lopez added one kill down the stretch, as did Eckenroth, to give the Spirits a nine-point victory.

Third Set Recap
Needing just one kill entering the third frame to reach 1,000 on her career, Lopez claimed her spot in Salem history with the second point on a pass from Brameus. Salem eventually moved out in front 7-1, but a kill by the Fighting Squirrels put the second point on the board. Rymer took over in serve and along with three kills from Lopez, Salem moved in front 14-2. Taylor Alleyne and Sizemore came through with slams for Salem, as did LindaGrace York, to help secure the program's 22nd win of the slate.