>Site: 
Buena Vista, Va. 

>Results: 
Southern Virginia 3, Salem 2 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-25, 15-10)

>Records: 
Salem (11-4, 4-2 USA South)
Southern Virginia (7-9, 4-1 USA South)

>Next Matches
Salem vs. William Peace | October 5 | 12 p.m. | Varsity Gym
Salem vs. Carolina U. | October 5 | 4 p.m. | Varsity Gym

BUENA VISTA, Va. – After being extended to its 10th fifth-set match since the 2022 campaign, the Salem volleyball team suffered a 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-25, 15-10 setback to Southern Virginia in a USA South Conference action on Wednesday evening in Buena Vista, Va.

Three Spirits reached double-digit kills, including Aspen Bradley (13), Ellie Scherer (10) and Maia Johnson (10). Teammate Leah Rymer quarterbacked the offense with 39 assists. Meanwhile, McKenzie Tullock and Anna Rymer highlighted the back row with 23 and 20 digs, respectively. 

With the match tied at two games apiece, following a fourth set win by the Spirits, Southern Virginia's Breanna Clyde drove a kill past the defense to grab the 6-3 lead. Abrielle Eckenroth and Maia Johnson answered with spikes for the Spirits, evening the game at six, but it was two errors and kills in the Knights' favor that resulted in a 13-10 margin. Southern Virginia tallied the final two points of the match, clinching the win. 

FIRST SET: Neither team was able to find its rhythm in the opening frame, but Salem used 12 kills and eight Knight errors in its favor to capture the five-point victory. After battling through nine ties, reaching an 11-all deadlock, the Knights tallied three straight. A series of errors by Southern Virginia, along with a slam from Bradley and a service ace by Anna Rymer, resulted in a 5-0 run for the Spirits. In the final stages, with the score tied at 20, Salem used a block from Anna Rymer and Johnson to spark the team to the opening set win. 

SECOND SET: Southern Virginia answered with a solid second set, driving home 13 kills and posting a .281 attack percentage after just four errors, to even the match at one-all. Timely slams from the trio of Bradley, Johnson and Bella Mann, helped the Spirits claim a 7-4 advantage. Salem maintained its lead until a three-point run by Southern Virginia evened the score at 14. Southern Virginia allowed just five points down the stretch, while notching three kills to clinch the victory. 

THIRD SET: The Spirits' offensive struggles continued in the third frame, but Southern Virginia answered with 13 kills and a .178 attack percentage to claim the three-point victory. Salem appeared to rebound from the close of the second set in the early stages of the third, grabbing a 4-1 lead, but it was short lived as the Knights evened the game at five. Eight points later, with the game knotted at nine, Anna Rymer capped off a three-point run to give the Spirits a 12-9 advantage. The Knights countered that run with a 6-3 run of their own to even the game at 15 for the first of four ties. A kill from Ruby Blamires coupled with a service ace by Gracie Fulton provided the decisive points. 

FOURTH SET: Facing a must-win fourth set, Salem responded with 10 kills and a .303 attack percentage after going through the set without an error. A series of kills by Scherer and Eckenroth, coupled with an Anna Rymer service ace, allowed Salem to grab a 6-3 lead. Johnson and Scherer extended the lead to 11-4 for the Spirits with a series of kills just before a Southern Virginia rally sliced the margin to 12-9. Slams from Anna Rymer, Johnson and Bradley in succession moved the lead to 20-12. Scherer delivered two kills down the stretch to help extend the match to a decisive fifth set.