MEISENHEIMER, N.C. – The Salem volleyball team closed out the 2021 regular season with a five-set victory over Mary Baldwin (22-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11), marking the first collegiate win in the head coaching career of Barry Rymer and the final victory for seniors Brooklyn Snow, Brianna Cherry and Jessica Cruz.
Salem 3, Mary Baldwin 2
Snow was one of two Salem hitters in double figure kills, finishing with 10, while teammate Valeria Rosa Lopez posted a team-high 19. Both were efficient throughout the match with Lopez posting a .277 attack percentage and Snow posting a .207 attack percentage. Brianna Moore (25 assists) and Dania Shoaf (17 assists) were the catalyst to an offense that finished with 52 kills and a .195 attack percentage.
Lopez was also active on defense with 14 digs, resulting in her 13th double-double of the slate. Meanwhile the trio of Snow, Shoaf and Macy Nelson had nine digs apiece. Lake Edwards and Brianna Cherry had two assisted blocks each for the Spirits, who finished 1-23 on the season and 1-17 in USA South Conference action.
Mary Baldwin (5-24, 1-17 USA South) grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first set and never relinquished the lead as it assumed the 1-0 lead in the match. The Spirits pulled to within two, 6-4, with a slam from Lopez, but Mary Baldwin stretched the lead to five, 9-4, quickly thereafter.
Salem seized the moment in the second set, with a pair of kills by Lopez, as it built a 7-4 lead following a slam by Edwards. With Snow in serve the Spirits assumed a 17-8 advantage behind a pair of kills from Lopez and one from Cherry. Mary Baldwin made a brief rally, trimming the lead to 21-15, but it was the senior tandem of Cherry and Snow that helped Salem knot the match with the two-point victory.
The Spirits extended that momentum into the third, establishing a 7-4 lead behind four Mary Baldwin miscues and a service ace from Shoaf. The Fighting Squirrels retaliated, pulling even at seven, as the two teams battled to seven ties, reaching a 15-all score. Nikita Sizemore drove home a kill and Edwards slammed home one of her own, as Salem eventually moved in front 22-20. However, Mary Baldwin scored the final five of the final six points to claim the victory.
Looking to answer with a win in the fourth set, Salem regrouped and again grabbed the lead, 7-3, early in the frame. The Fighting Squirrels answered, pulling even at 10, before a kill from Snow gave Salem the slim one-point lead, 11-10. Mary Baldwin seemingly had the match in hand, following a seven-point unanswered run, but kills from Lopez, Edwards and Sizemore helped Salem storm back to even the match at 2-2 with a two-point victory.
Facing its fourth five-set match of the season, Salem bolted out to a 4-2 lead with a miscue in serve. Lopez and Sizemore delivered kills for the Spirits, moving the lead to 8-3. Nelson put Salem into double figures, 10-6, with kills for Salem. With a five-point lead, 12-7, following a Snow slam, Salem capitalized on a Lopez kill to help drive home the victory.
"This has been a great season," said head coach Barry Rymer. "I have the best girls to work with and I am so happy we finished with a win for all the seniors. I am even more excited for next year and building the team for the future."
Southern Virginia 3, Salem 0
Valeria Rosa Lopez was the primary source of offense for Salem, finishing with five kills while Brooklyn Snow added four in the clash with the Trojans. Southern Virginia's Courtney Pinkston tallied a match-high 14 kills, while Brenna Clyde and Sydney Hopkin came through with nine each in a 25-19, 25-12, 25-14 victory in the opening set of the afternoon.
Southern Virginia (24-4, 16-2 USA South) finished with a .365 attack percentage, limiting itself to just eight errors over the course of the match.
Pinkston drove home five kills in the opening set, while Hopkin added four and Jilane Pedersen came through with three. After an early two-all deadlock, the Trojans put scored six of the next nine points to forge ahead 8-5. A service ace by Lopez sliced the margin to one, 9-8, but Southern Virginia outscored the Spirits 11-3 during a significant stretch to assume the 20-12 lead. Lopez delivered three kills and Snow added one of her own, but Southern Virginia claimed the six-point victory.
With its offense clicking on all cylinders, Southern Virginia established a 9-4 lead early in the second set. Laken Edwards and Nikita Sizemore delivered strikes for the Spirits, but Southern Virginia extended its advantage to 21-8. Sizemore, along with Lopez, added a series of kills down the stretch in a 25-12 Trojan victory.
Five kills apiece by Pinkston and Clyde sparked the Southern Virginia offense that finished the set with a .515 attack percentage. Snow opened the match with a slam for the Spirits, but Southern Virginia established a 6-2 lead in the early phases of the third set. Snow and Brianna Cherry added kills for Salem, but the Trojans assumed the 21-8 lead. Sizemore and Edwards combined for one kill each and Macy Nelson contributed a service ace in the final stages to account for the final points for the Spirits.
