Site:
Raleigh, N.C. | Hermann Athletic Center
Score:
Salem 3, William Peace 2 (23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-17, 15-12)
Records:
Salem (23-9) / William Peace (14-16)
Up Next:
Salem at Meredith | USA South Conference Tournament (Semifinal) | Raleigh, N.C. | Thursday, November 9 | 7 p.m.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Junior Anna Rymer came through with a clutch performance for Salem volleyball as she singlehandedly scored five of the final seven points of the match, leading the cardiac Spirits to their sixth consecutive five-set win, which came over William Peace by scores of 23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-17, 15-12. With the victory, Salem will now face Meredith in the Semifinal Round of the USA South Conference Tournament on Thursday evening.
Sophomore Ashlyn Wood also had her hand in the final five points of the match, taking over in serve after a slam by Rymer made for a 12-10 William Peace lead. Wood delivered a service ace to put the Spirits within one, and handed out each of the next four assists, including three to Rymer and one to Ella Brameus, as the Spirits clinched their second Semifinal Round bid in as many seasons.
The back-and-forth battle of the fifth frame began as Salem rallied from a 5-3 deficit to even the set at five-all with a slam from Lopez. Bradley added a kill of her own, but a block and a kill from Audrey Spindle eventually allowed William Peace to assume an 11-7 lead. Jacie Jarvis and Rymer electrified the Spirits bench with slams of their own, resulting in the 12-9 William Peace advantage.
Rymer delivered her match-high 17 kills with efficiency, posting a .389 attack percentage along the way. She was joined in double figure kills by the trio of Aspen Bradley (12), Valeria Rosa Lopez (11) and Abrielle Eckenroth (10). That quartet, with Wood and Jolina Bun combining for 44 assists, helped Salem tally 59 kills in five sets.
Macy Nelson dove all over the court at the Hermann Athletic Center on Tuesday evening, coming through with 20 digs, while Lopez added 18. Eckenroth completed a double-double with 13 digs of her own as Salem tallied 80 as a unit.
First Set Recap
Salem opened the match on a 7-3 run, capped off by a Rymer service ace. However, William Peace reversed that score, evening the frame at 10-all. The Pacers eventually built a four-point lead, 19-15, with slams from Jordan Juanes, but Salem used strikes from Bradley and Brameus to make for a 21-20 lead. A slam by Juanes, with William Peace leading 24-23, proved to be the difference in the opening set win.
Second Set Recap
Salem rebounded in the second set and found its rhythm, finishing with a .313 attack percentage along with 14 kills, while the defense limited the Pacers to just eight kills and a .065 attack percentage. Knotted at six-all, Adalyn Raney and Bradley helped stretch the lead to two. Eckenroth drove home a kill to put Wood in serve, who responded by forcing William Peace into two errors as the Spirits built a 14-8 lead. Eckenroth added two aces of her own, giving Salem an 18-11 lead at just over the midway point. Lopez came through with two kills, while Bradley and Rymer added one each to even the match at one set apiece.
Third Set Recap
The back-and-forth battle continued into the third set with the two teams facing five ties in the first 14 points, reaching a seven-all deadlock. Salem forged in front 14-11, following a block from Lopez and Bradley, but the Pacers drew even with a block of their own from Juanes and Tameka Adams. Facing a 20-17 deficit, following a service error by William Peace, Salem surrendered the final five points to again give the Pacers a lead in the match.
Fourth Set Recap
A relentless Salem offense came through with five kills and two service aces, establishing a 10-3 lead on an ace from Jolina Bun. After William Peace rallied, pulling the match to 10-7, Bradley and Eckenroth got the Spirits' offense back on track with kills of their own to make for a 19-11 lead. Rymer put the Spirits at 20, while Bradley delivered three of the final five points to send the match to the decisive fifth set.
