Opponent:
Salem at Greensboro | September 12 | Greensboro, N.C. | 7 p.m.

LOOKING BACK AT ROANOKE COLLEGE TOURNAMENT
September 8: The Salem volleyball team ran its record to 5-1 on the season with a series of victories at the Roanoke College Tournament on Friday evening against Randolph (3-1 / 25-20, 25-11, 22-25, 25-19) and the host Maroons (3-0 / 25-16, 25-16, 25-13).

The Spirits picked up their fourth win of the season, fifth in the head-to-head series with Randolph, in the first match of the afternoon. Sophomore Abrielle Eckenroth led the way for the Spirits with 15 kills, a single-match career-high, after finishing with a .448 attack percentage. The Belleview, Florida, native was also active on defense with 17 digs, resulting in her first double-double.

Eckenroth was joined in double-digit kills by Anna Rymer (12) and Aspen Bradley (10) as the Spirits amassed 58 total kills and a .243 attack percentage. While that trio led the offense, Jolina Bun (19 digs), Valeria Rosa Lopez (18), Ashlyn Wood (14) and first year Adalyn Raney (10).

Lopez rebounded from a difficult opening match to notch a match-high 12 kills in Salem's sweep of Roanoke in the night cap, marking the third win in the all-time series with the Maroons. Lopez was firing on all cylinders, posting a .385 attack percentage, while Raney and Bradley contributed seven kills apiece. Raney again was active on defense for the Spirits with 17 digs, a match-high, while Lopez added 13. Raney also paired with Rymer to finish with two assisted blocks apiece.

September 9: The Salem volleyball team completed its two-day weekend with a pair of wins over Ferrum (3-1 / 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-15) and Hollins (3-0 / 25-14, 25-16, 25-20). With those two triumphs, Salem moved its record to 7-1 overall, marking the best start in program history.

With the pair of Valeria Rosa Lopez and Anna Rymer reaching double-digit kills, 16 and 13, respectively, Salem capped off the clash with Ferrum with 49 kills and a .229 attack percentage. Rymer was also active defensively with four assisted blocks, while teammate Jolina Bun came through with a team-best 18. Reece Campbell added 16 digs, Lopez emerged with 13.

Lopez was also a prevalent part of the Salem offense in the second match, tying Aspen Bradley for the team lead with eight kills as the Spirits posted a .245 attack percentage. Lopez was also an active defender with 14 digs, while Bun contributed 12.

Salem's Ashlyn Wood earned All-Tournament honors for the Spirits, finishing with 100 assists, 38 digs and five service aces over the weekend.

SECOND USA SOUTH ROOKIE OF THE WEEK IN AS MANY WEEKS
For the second time in as many weeks and the fifth time in program history a Salem volleyball player was named USA South Conference Rookie of the Week. One week after Jolina Bun brought home the award for Salem volleyball on September 4th, teammate Adalyn Raney was named as the top rookie in the league in a formal announcement on Monday, September 11th.

Raney was instrumental in a 4-0 week for the Spirits, who came through with victories over Randolph, Roanoke, Ferrum and Hollins at the Roanoke Tournament over the weekend. It not only marked the first time in program history that Salem has posted four wins at an in-season tournament, but also the best start (7-1) through eight matches in program history.

Individually, Raney played in 14 sets and finished with 43 digs (3.07 digs/set), 27 kills (1.93 kills/set), eight service aces and seven assisted blocks at the Roanoke Tournament. Her 43 digs were second only to teammate Valeria Rosa Lopez on the weekend and she was one of five Spirits with at least 25 kills, including Lopez (43), Anna Rymer (38), Aspen Bradley (30) and Abrielle Eckenroth (28).

Raney opened the weekend with 10 digs, eight kills, two service aces and an assisted block in Salem's four-set triumph over Randolph on Friday, September 8th. In the evening match, the first year outside hitter established her single-match season-high in digs (17), while contributing seven kills (.278 attack pct.), four service aces and two assisted blocks in a sweep of the host Maroons.

When Salem returned to the court on Saturday, September 9th, Raney quickly picked up where she left off from the previous day in a clash with Ferrum. Against the Panthers, Raney came through with eight digs, five kills and two assisted blocks for the Spirits. Her weekend drew to a close in the final match of the tournament, which came against Hollins, where she again contributed eight digs, seven kills (.278 attack pct.), two blocks (one solo) and a pair of service aces.

The duo of Bun and Raney become the first in Salem volleyball history to claim USA South Rookie of the Week honors in the same season. Raney joins Taylor Moulton, Maggie Hawks, Bradley and Bun as the only players to earn the distinction is Salem history.

MOVING >>> MATCH TO MEREDITH
Salem will be moving its first home match of the 2023 season, originally scheduled against Meredith on September 14th, to Raleigh, N.C. Therefore, the Avenging Angels will pay a visit to Salem on October 9th.

STREAKING SPIRITS
When Salem heads down I-40 on Tuesday afternoon to face USA South Conference rival Greensboro the Spirits will look to extend the program's longest winning streak since 2018 to six matches.

The 2023 Spirits have equaled the 2017 and 2018 teams for the third-longest winning streak in program history and are one win from tying the 2012 and 2017 units for the longest winning streak—which stands at six.

The current five-match winning streak is Salem's longest under head coach Barry Rymer, whose 2022 squad won four straight from October 4th-October 11th against Brevard, Meredith, Pfeiffer and William Peace. That four-match winning streak by the Spirits in 2022 was halted by a four-set loss to Greensboro at the hands of The Pride.

Salem's Longest Winning Streaks (min. 5 matches)

SALEM IN USA SOUTH CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Spirits are 3-3 in their USA South Conference openers, dating back to the 2016 campaign when Salem joined the league.

The three victories have come in all forms—at home, on the road and at a neutral site. The first win in program history in a USA South Conference opener came at Varsity Gym against Methodist on September 21, 2017, where Salem emerged in four sets by scores of 22-25,25-21,27-25,30-28.

The following season, Salem began league play against Mary Baldwin on September 22, 2018 in Raleigh, N.C., at a tri-match hosted by William Peace. The Spirits picked up their second-ever USA South Conference opener by sweeping Mary Baldwin (25-21, 25-7, 25-8).

The winning streak in conference openers reached three straight on September 25, 2019 in Fayetteville, N.C., against Methodist. It was there that Salem earned a 25-21,25-21,24-26,25-21 four-set win against the Monarchs.

The three setbacks in USA South openers came in 2016 (vs. Meredith), 2021 (at Pfeiffer) and in 2022 (at Greensboro).

WEEK AHEAD FOR THE SPIRITS
Tuesday evening marks the first of four matches in a five-day stretch for Salem, including three that are against USA South Conference opposition.

The Spirits remain on the road for their next four matches, heading to Greensboro (Sept. 12) and Meredith (Sept. 14) within a three-day stretch, before making the trek to Raleigh, N.C., for a clash with both William Peace and Mary Washington on Saturday, September 16th. Mary Washington was ranked 22nd nationally in the NCAA Division III American Volleyball Coaches Association poll on September 5th.

GREENSBORO: The Pride stretched their lead to 20-7 in the all-time series with a pair of four-set victories over Salem a season ago and extended their winning streak in the series to five straight in the process.

Greensboro began its five-match winning streak with a five-set victory (20-25,15-25,25-16,25-21,15-11) at the USA South Conference in Danville, Va., on November 5, 2019. Two of those triumphs, in 2021, by The Pride came in 3-0 sweeps. Last year, Greensboro completed the head-to-head sweep after taking the first match at Varsity Gym on September 21st by scores of 16-25,25-16,28-26,25-17. When the two teams collided on October 12th, The Pride again emerged with a four-set victory, downing Salem 20-20,26-24,25-23,25-16.

Salem has just three wins in Greensboro's Hanes Gym, the first of which came on October 7, 2017 by virtue of a 3-0 sweep (25-19,25-18,25-23). The following year, when the two clashed on September 29, 2018, Salem again posted a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-20,25-14,25-16. The last victory in the Gate City for Salem came on October 26, 2019, when the Spirits won a four-set thriller by scores of 25-21,14-25,25-20,25-22.

Greensboro enters the match on Tuesday evening with a 3-5 record, winning their last two matches. Those victories, both in three-set affairs, came against Agnes Scott and Huntingdon at the Sewanee Tournament, which took place on September 8-9.

Head-to-Head Series vs. Greensboro