>OPPONENTS (October 13-October 19) 
Salem vs. Methodist | October 15 | 7 p.m. | Varsity Gym
Salem at Greensboro| October 17 | 7 p.m. | Hanes Gym
Salem at Pfeiffer | October 19 | 12 p.m. | Merner Gym
Salem vs. Bob Jones | October 19 | 12 p.m. | Merner Gym

>SPIRITS FACING FOUR MATCHES IN FIVE-DAY STRETCH
The Salem volleyball team will see its six-match homestand come to a close this week, when the Spirits host Methodist on Tuesday evening. Furthermore, Salem will take to the road for three matches, including two USA South Conference bouts, against the likes of Greensboro, Pfeiffer and Bob Jones this week. 

>SHUFFLING IN THE LEAGUE STANDINGS
This week's matches will definitely cause a shuffle atop the USA South Conference standings. Entering Monday, Salem is in a three-way tie for second place in the league with Methodist and Greensboro, all boasting a 7-2 record in league play. Southern Virginia sits atop the standings with an 8-1 mark. 

>SPIRITS COMPLETE WEEKEND WITH WINS OVER BATTLING BISHOPS, BRUINS
With a pair of three-set victories over N.C. Wesleyan (25-14, 25-16, 25-13) and Carolina University (25-14, 25-17, 25-11) on Saturday afternoon, the Salem volleyball team extended its current winning streak to five and their home court streak to 13 consecutive at Varsity Gym. 

Senior Anna Rymer was among the top performers on offense, combining for 23 kills in the victories, as she moved to within two kills of 1,000 in her collegiate volleyball career. Joining her among the offensive leaders in the victories were Aspen Bradley (17 kills), Ellie Scherer (17), Abrielle Eckenroth (15). Meanwhile, first-year setter Leah Rymer dished out 66 assists along with five service aces. 

The Salem defensive attack was led by the combination of Anna and Leah Rymer along with junior McKenzie Tullock and sophomore Makailey Albright. 

vs. N.C. Wesleyan | Oct. 12: The Spirits closed out their eighth consecutive win in the series with N.C. Wesleyan behind an 11-kill performance from Anna Rymer. Joining Rymer among the offensive leaders were Scherer, who closed with 10 kills along with Bradley and Eckenroth, who came through with nine kills apiece. 

With Leah Rymer quarterbacking the offense with 38 assists, Salem combined for 45 kills and a .394 attack percentage in the victory. Eckenroth posted a .615 attack percentage, while Scherer finished with a .533 attack percentage in the three-set win. Leah Rymer also came through with nine digs, while Albright, Tullock and Olivia Torres contributed six digs apiece. 

vs. Carolina U. | Oct. 12: Anna Rymer's strong offensive performance continued in Salem's second clash with the Bruins in as many weekends. Rymer delivered 12 kills, while Bradley added eight of her own and Scherer drove home seven. Rymer enjoyed the best attack percentage (.632) of the match, going errorless in 19 attacks, as Salem finished with 40 kills and a .290 attack percentage. 

Anna Rymer also contributed eight digs while sister Leah dished out 28 assists to go along with six digs. Tullock equaled Anna Rymer for the team-high in digs (eight). 

>SALEM EARNS FIFTH ROOKIE OF THE WEEK THIS SEASON
For the fourth straight week and fifth time in the 2024 season a member of the Salem volleyball team claimed USA South Conference Rookie of the Week honors. First year setter Leah Rymer, who received the distinction for the second time in as many weeks, joins classmate Maia Johnson as a multi-time winner of the honor. 

Johnson began the four-week stretch by winning the award on both September 23rd and 30th, after claiming her first USA South Rookie of the Week honor on September 9th. However, Rymer, has claimed the last two Rookie of the Week honors from the league office. 

In three matches last week, Rymer finished with 107 assists (10.7 assists/set), 19 digs and seven service aces for a Spirits unit that finished perfect on the week by virtue of wins over Brevard, N.C. Wesleyan and Carolina University. 

>SPIRITS RUN HOME WINNING STREAK TO 13 STRAIGHT
On October 21, 2023, the Spirits claimed a 3-0 win over N.C. Wesleyan and since that point team has run off 12 consecutive victories at Varsity Gym. 

The streak moved to two later that afternoon with a sweep of Carolina University and continued in 2023 with triumphs over Bob Jones (Oct. 28), Southern Virginia (Nov. 1), Roanoke (Nov. 4) and Mary Baldwin (Nov. 4) in succession. 

The five-match winning streak was on the line in the 2024 season opener, which came against Greensboro on September 19th, but the Spirits prevailed in five sets to pick up their sixth victory. Salem followed that with wins over Pfeiffer on September 20th, both in straight sets, before reaching double figures on October 5th with wins against William Peace and Carolina University. 

Last week, Salem claimed three home victories against Brevard (Oct. 8), N.C. Wesleyan (Oct. 12) and Carolina University (Oct.12). 

To put the current volleyball home winning streak into historical context, it ranks as the second-longest home winning streak on campus by any program in Salem history. The winningest home streak by a Salem athletic program is 24, which belongs to the soccer program. From October 18, 2014 through October 17, 2017, the Salem soccer program won 24 straight matches. 

The longest winning streak for the basketball program at Varsity Gym is 12, which spanned from January 22, 2013 through January 26, 2014. The softball team had a 10-game winning streak, which spanned from March 23, 2016 through February 17, 2017. 

>ANNA RYMER NEEDING TWO KILLS FOR 1,000
Salem middle blocker Anna Rymer enters the week two kills shy of reaching 1,000 in her collegiate volleyball career. Rymer, who amassed 205 kills during her freshman season at Ferrum, has accrued 793 kills during the last three years at Salem. 

Rymer, who joined the Salem program in 2022, came through with 285 kills that season and followed that with 310 in 2023. She ranks sixth all-time in Salem volleyball history in kills. 

>FROM ONE RYMER TO ANOTHER … LEAH REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
With 564 assists this season, first year Leah Rymer needs just four assists to pass Sara Maher's 2010 mark for 10th-most assists in a single-season in program history.

In back-to-back seasons, Maher came through with 598 (2009) and 569 (2010) assists, which places her ninth and 10th, respectively, on the single-season assist leader list. 

Rymer, who is averaging 7.32 assists per set in 2024, has dished out at least 30 assists eight times. Her single-match season-high, 47, came in a four-set victory over William Peace on October 5th. That was five more than her previous high, which came in five sets against Brevard on September 24th. 

>SCOUTING REPORT—METHODIST
The Monarchs make their return to the Triad after squaring off against Greensboro on Saturday afternoon, which resulted in a five-set setback at Hanes Gym. 

Methodist is 6-2 on the road this season and enters the week with a 16-3 overall record and 7-2 mark in USA South Conference play. 

LAST TIME (vs. Methodist / Sept. 17): Junior Aspen Bradley delivered 11 kills, while teammates Anna Rymer and Maia Johnson contributed nine each, to lead Salem to a .254 attack percentage. However, it was the tandem of Jamie Holton (19 kills) and Savannah Hovander (14) that proved to be the difference as Methodist claimed a four-set victory (14-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19) in the first USA South Conference match for both teams. 

In the evenly-played match, Salem tallied 51 kills as a unit, while the Monarchs countered with 55 of their own. Bradley was tops among individual leaders with a .409 attack percentage, committing just two errors in 22 attacks, while Ellie Scherer (.412) and Rymer posted a .348 attack percentage. Leah Rymer distributed a team-best 24 assists for the Spirits, while Ella Brameus anchored the back row with 13 digs.

>SCOUTING REPORT—GREENSBORO
The Pride will host Salem at Hanes Gym on Thursday evening, their first match of the week, with a seven-match winning streak on the line. Since dropping a three-set match to William Peace on September 27th, Greensboro has won five three-set matches and a five-setter, which came against Methodist on Saturday afternoon. 

LAST TIME (vs. Greensboro, Sept. 19): The junior trio of Aspen Bradley, Bella Mann and McKenzie Tullock helped the Salem volleyball team snap a seven-match losing streak to USA South Conference foe Greensboro College as the Spirits emerged in a five-set thriller at Varsity Gym by scores of 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, 12-25, 15-10.

Salem took down The Pride for the first time since October 26, 2019 and the first time at home since October 5, 2019. The Spirits were sparked offensively by the trio of Bradley and Mann, who finished with 16 and 15 kills, respectively, along with the contributions of first-year Maia Johnson, who tallied 10 kills. Leah Rymer quarterbacked the offense attack, which tallied 61 kills and a .246 attack percentage, with 31 assists.

>SCOUTING REPORT—PFEIFFER
This match will mark the third clash of the season between Salem and Pfeiffer, who met for a doubleheader on September 20th. The Falcons snapped a 10-match losing streak after claiming a sweep of Mary Baldwin on October 12th. 

Pfeiffer enters this week with a 4-14 overall mark, including a 1-8 record in USA South Conference play. The Falcons are 0-6 at Merner Gym in 2024 and face William Peace on Wednesday evening before bringing Salem and Bob Jones to Misenheimer, N.C., on Saturday afternoon. 

LAST TIME (vs. Pfeiffer, Sept. 20):  The Salem volleyball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Pfeiffer on Friday, September 20th. The Spirits opened the day by earning a 25-23, 25-22, 25-19 victory over Pfeiffer, which included 11 kills off the hand of Maia Johnson and eight each from the trio of Aspen Bradley, Anna Rymer and Ellie Scherer. Salem continued its solid play in the second match, taking down the Falcons by scores of 25-15, 25-19, 25-18, as Bradley led the way with 13 kills.

>SCOUTING REPORT—BOB JONES
Just under one year after facing off against Bob Jones in a five-set thriller in Misenheimer, N.C., the Spirits will again take on the Bruins at the same venue. Bob Jones is set to face three teams this week, including Salem, including a clash with Piedmont University in Greenville, S.C. on Wednesday evening. After facing Carolina University on Friday night, the Bruins will make the trek to Misenheimer, N.C., to face both Salem and Pfeiffer the following afternoon. 

The Bruins enter the week 18-8 overall and have won 13 straight matches, a streak which began with a three-set win over Regent University on September 14th. 

Salem is 1-1 all-time when facing the Bruins.