ROME, Ga. – The USA South Athletic Conference's volleyball coaches released their 2021 preseason polls on Friday, August 27th. Salem, which returns to the court after a 21-month layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was predicted to finish ninth according to the preseason pollsters.

Each divisional preseason poll only includes votes from coaches within that particular division-only. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

The Spirits, who capped off the 2019 season with a 14-14 overall record and a 10-6 mark in league play, returns to action with a roster that includes five first year athletes, two sophomores and two juniors. Salem will also be under the guidance of first-year head coach Barry Rymer.

While Rymer is new to Salem, he begins his second coaching stint at a collegiate level, after serving as an assistant coach at Catawba on two occasions under Ginger Hamric. He coached at Catawba from 1999-2003 and later from 2006-2009, helping the Indians capture 189 wins along the way to a pair of South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championships in 2000 and 2002.

With Rymer's assistance, Catawba also won the 2001 SAC Tournament crown and appeared in the NCAA Tournament Regionals on three occasions (2001, 2008, 2009) and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008. Catawba had 12 SAC First Team honorees, nine SAC Second Team players and three All-Freshmen Team members during Rymer's time. In 2008 he worked with the SAC Player of the Year (Melissa Powers) and followed that up by tutoring the 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year (Kaitlyn Whitmer).

Rymer comes to Salem after spending the last seven years at South Rowan High School where he served as the varsity assistant and jayvee head coach since 2015 and as the head coach of the beach volleyball program since 2018.

Among the top returnees for Rymer include Brooklyn Snow, Valeria Rosa Lopez and Brianna Cherry. Snow capped off her sophomore season on the court by ranking third on the team in kills (194), assisted blocks (37) and total blocks (38).

Lopez wrapped up the 2019 campaign with 75 kills along with a team-best 51 services aces to her credit. Defensively she contributed 266 digs, third-most on the squad, along with eight assisted blocks. Cherry added five kills in nine matches in her first season on the court for Salem.

Averett was atop the rankings in the East Division poll and will look to continue the momentum built during last spring's COVID-altered season as the Cougars captured the East Division championship. The Cougars edged out USA South Conference newcomer Southern Virginia in the polls with William Peace predicted to finish third in the East.

Also attempting to continue its program's success is Maryville who was ranked first in the West Division poll. In 2019, the Scots won a League regular season and tournament crown while gathering the West Division championship during last spring's COVID-altered campaign.

The 2021 USA South Volleyball Tournament will once again be conducted exclusively on campus sites. The top-five seeded teams from each division will advance to the tournament.