WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – William Peace opened the day with a 25-11, 25-22 and 25-17 victory over Salem and Averett closed out the USA South Conference tri-match with a 25-12, 25-17 and 25-22 against the Spirits in Varsity Gym on Saturday, October 23rd.
William Peace 3, Salem 0
William Peace (16-10, 11-2 USA South) wrapped up a solid offense performance with a team .277 attack percentage and was led individually by Hannah Collier (seven) and Shelby Cooper (six) in kills. Teammate Mackenzie Russell closed with 35 assists, while the back row was led by Logan Moore, who emerged with 13 digs.
Brooklyn Snow was the primary source of offense for Salem with 11 kills and Brianna Moore handed out a team-best 18 assists. Macy Nelson (14 digs) and Brianna Cherry (nine) were the back row leaders.
Nikita Sizemore drove home two kills in the first seven points, but it was the service game of Russell that provided the Pacers with a 5-2 lead. Nelson drove home a kill for the Spirits' sixth point, but William Peace answered with an 8-0 run that resulted in a 16-6 advantage. A pair of kills by Snow, coupled with a slam from Cherry, allowed Salem to reach double figures. However, it was service aces by Logan Moore that helped secure the 14-point decision.
Six ties in the first 24 points of the second set resulted in a 12-all deadlock between the two teams. Madeline Simpson sparked a 4-0 run for the Pacers, who forged in front 16-12. The combination of Snow and Laken Edwards drew the Spirits even at 18, but it was brief as William Peace converted a kill and added a service ace from Moore to assume the three-point lead. The Pacers committed three miscues and coupled with a Snow slam, the result was a climatic 22-all tie. Alyssa Poteat and Simpson were responsible for kills down the stretch as William Peace grabbed the 2-0 lead.
The back-and-forth battle for the lead continued into the early phases of the third set, which resulted in a five-all deadlock. Georgia Grace Anders delivered the first of five Pacer kills while Moore added two service aces as William Peace established a 16-7 lead. Snow and Cherry came through with kills that put Salem into double figures, but the Spirits would pull no closer than six as William Peace capped off the sweep with a 25-17 win.
Averett 3, Salem 0
Emma Nash drove home a match-high 13 kills, and Erin Gray was responsible for 12 digs, as Averett (20-7, 10-5 USA South) capped off a three-set win by scores of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-22 in the opening match of the day at Varsity Gym.
Salem (0-19, 0-13 USA South) received 10 kills each from Valeria Rosa Lopez and Brooklyn Snow to lead the way for the offense. Lopez was also active on defense with 17 digs with teammate Brianna Moore closing with 14 assists. Laken Edwards led the way for the front row with three assisted blocks.
Locked in a four-all deadlock early in the first frame, Julianna Erickson delivered a kill for the Cougars, sparking an 11-3 run that extended their lead to 15-7. Snow drove home three kills in a five-point stretch, making for a 17-10 score. Averett added six kills down the stretch, surrendering just two points along the way, to earn the 25-12 win.
Salem came out of the intermission and grabbed a 4-0 lead, following two kills by Macy Nelson, but the Cougars scored four straight to even the game. The two teams would endure six ties, reaching a 12-all deadlock, after a slam from Nelson. Nash came through with a timely kill, providing Averett with a one-point advantage, scoring the first of four straight points. Salem managed kills from Nelson and Snow down the stretch, but Averett earned the eight-point victory.
With the opportunity to close out the match, Averett streaked out to a 5-1 lead in the third behind a slam from Erickson. Lopez delivered three kills for the Spirits, but two kills from beam allowed Averett to extend the lead to 12-6. Lopez drove home three kills for Salem, cutting the margin to 19-14, but Beam put the Cougars four points from the win with a pair of kills. Two kills from Cherry down the stretch trimmed the Cougar lead to three, 23-20, before a kill by Nash and an ace by Gray accounted for the final points.
The Spirits return to action on Wednesday, October 27th when they host Methodist at 7 p.m. in Varsity Gym.
