>Site: 
Weatherspoon Athletic Center | Raleigh, N.C.

>Results: 
Salem 3, Meredith 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20)

>Records: 
Salem (26-5, 14-3 USA South)
Meredith (15-10, 10-7 USA South)

>Next Matches
Salem vs. Mary Baldwin | Nov. 9 | 12 p.m.| Varsity Gym
Salem vs. Roanoke | Nov. 9 | 4 p.m.| Varsity Gym

RALEIGH, N.C. –  Aspen Bradley slammed home a match-high 17 kills, posting a .361 attack percentage along the way, while the backrow duo of McKenzie Tullock and Olivia Torres emerged with 25 and 24 digs, respectively, to help the Salem volleyball program conduct its first-ever season sweep of Meredith and claim its first-ever win at the Weatherspoon Athletic Center by scores of 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20. 

Bradley, who was joined in double-digit kills by the tandem of Maia Johnson (12) and Anna Rymer (11), helped Salem close with 57 kills. Teammate Leah Rymer dished out 43 assists along the way as six Spirits had at least two kills. Among the other hitters with at least five kills were Ellie Scherer (eight) and Abrielle Eckenroth (six). 

Tullock and Torres, anchored a Salem back row that tallied 101 digs on the evening, marking the fourth time in program history a Spirits unit tallied at least 100 digs. Makailey Albright and Leah Rymer also reached double-digit digs, recording 14 and 13 respectively, while Eckenroth came through with seven and Bradley added six. 

With the 101 kills, the 2024 team becomes the second in program history to top 2,000 digs in a single season (2,033). The program record belongs to the 2017 unit, which closed with 2,240. The match also also allowed the Spirits to establish the program record for most single-season kills (1,563), a mark previously held by the 2022 team, which was 1,507. 

FIRST SET: Leading 8-7 in the opening stages, Anna Rymer singlehandedly delivered three kills and helped extend the Spirits' lead to seven. Meredith countered with five unanswered, pulling to within two, before knotting the game at 15 on a slam from Delaney Lowery. Sixteen points and five ties later, tied at 23-all, back-to-back service aces from Lillie Davis provided the decisive points for the Avenging Angels. 

SECOND SET: Salem answered with a 6-1 run to open the second set and used a series of Avenging Angel errors to reach double figures. Johnson teamed with Anna Rymer on a block and added a kill, to provide the Spirits with breathing room and a 15-11 lead. Meredith retaliated with a 5-1 lead, pulling even at 16, but slams from Bradley and Eckenroth allowed Salem to establish a 21-16 advantage. The trio of Bradley, Johnson and Scherer drove home kills down the stretch to even the match at 1-1. 

THIRD SET: Kills from both Bradley and Scherer, coupled with a service ace by Anna Rymer, played a role in helping the Spirits sustain a 10-5 lead. Scherer notched the 12th point of the game, while Torres stepped into serve and forced three straight attack errors, as Salem moved its lead to 15-8. Bradley added three kills in a five-point stretch, moving the margin to 20-11. Johnson slammed three kills in the final four points to help Salem clinch the third game. 

FOURTH SET: Meredith clawed its way to a one-point lead, 7-6, but a kill from Johnson and a Torres service ace sparked a six-point run for the Spirits who assumed the 12-7 lead. Johnson and Bradley delivered kills, while Leah Rymer contributed a service ace, moving the margin to 18-12. Meredith continued to fight, using a 7-1 run to pull even at 19, but timely kills from Scherer and Anna Rymer resulted in a 22-19 score. Leah Rymer and Bradley came through with kills, resulting in the 24th point, before a solo block by Bradley resulted in the match point for Salem.