WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem volleyball team concludes the home portion of its 2021 schedule on Wednesday, October 27th, when it hosts USA South Conference rival Methodist at 7 p.m. at Varsity Gym. The clash with the Monarchs will also serve as Senior Night for Salem's 2021 class of Brianna Cherry, Jessica Cruz and Brooklyn Snow.

SENIOR CLASS OF 2021-22 INFORMATION: The 2021 senior class enters the match with 26 overall victories, including 20 USA South Conference wins, and a pair of 10-win league slates in both 2018 and 2019. Salem posted 15 of those 26 wins in three-set fashion and grabbed another nine in four-sets.

Brianna Cherry is a two-sport athlete at Salem, who also played basketball during her time as a Spirit. Cherry has played in 29 matches for the volleyball program and was a recipient of the 2019-20 BlueGold Award. She is responsible for 46 kills, 42 digs and 22 total blocks, including 18 assisted blocks. Cherry has had at least four kills in three matches in 2021, including a single-match season-high five in a five-set clash with Ferrum on September 16th.

Jessica Cruz was also a two-sport athlete during her time at Salem College. Cruz joined the volleyball team in September. She has appeared in 12 sets, emerging with 20 digs (1.67 digs/set) in that span. Her best single-match performance came at N.C. Wesleyan on September 25th, when she emerged with 12 digs. On the pitch, she appeared in 33 matches, making five starts, and attempting eight shots and four shots on goal.

Brooklyn Snow enters the final home match ranked second in kills (157), digs (182) and fourth in total blocks (20), accruing four double-doubles along the way. Snow enters the final home match of her career with 447 kills, 290 digs and 106 assists to her credit. She has also been active on the front row, using her skills to amass 85 blocks, including 76 assisted blocks and nine solo blocks in three seasons in a Salem uniform. Snow will leave the program ranked inside the Top-15 of five different statistical categories including eighth in career kills, eighth in total attacks with 1,537, eighth in assisted blocks, eight in total blocks and 10th in total assists.

ANALYZING THE SPIRITS: Salem (0-20, 0-14 USA South) has two players—Valeria Rosa Lopez and Brooklyn Snow—with 100 kills in conference action in 2021. Lopez leads the way with 154 kills (3.50 kills/set), while Snow is averaging 2.28 kills/set in 20 matches. That duo has accounted for .628 percent of Salem's total kills (441) in league play. Lopez, who has 235 kills over the course of the season, moved into 14th on the all-time list of single-season kills in program history. The most single-season kills came from Kylie Taffer in 2016 when she drove home 330, one more than teammate Taylor Moulton, who had 329.

Lopez has also been active on the Spirits' back row defense, leading four players with 100 digs with a team-best 181 (4.11 digs/set) against league competition. Teammate Macy Nelson is second with 156, followed by Snow (127) and Brianna Moore, who has 105 to her credit. Taylor Alleyne tops the team in total blocks (19) and solo blocks (six), with Cherry second in total blocks with 18.

BREAKING DOWN METHODIST: Methodist (11-16, 3-12 USA South) has split its last four matches of the season, since posting a three-set win over Salem on October 18th in Fayetteville. The one win came over Mary Baldwin (3-0), while the two setbacks came to N.C. Wesleyan (3-1) and Southern Virginia (3-0).

The top offensive player for the Monarchs in USA South action has been Jeanana Fowler, who has 144 kills to her credit. She is one of four Methodist hitters with 100 kills, including Kendall Craig (133), Geneva Barriger (126) and Erica East (102). The offense has been piloted primarily by Hannah Hewett, who has dished out 486 assists.

Defensively, the Methodist trio of Janie Harmelink (253), Hewett (187) and Barriger (150) have anchored the back row in digs. Meanwhile, the combination of Craig and Fowler, who have 40 and 36 total blocks, respectively, have helped the Monarchs accrue 84 total blocks in USA South play.

All-Time Series (vs. Methodist)
(Methodist leads 16-4)