>Results: 
Methodist 3, Salem 1 (14-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19)

>Records: 
Salem (6-3, 0-1 USA South)
Methodist (10-1, 1-0 USA South)

>Next Matches
Salem vs. Greensboro | September 19 | 7 p.m.
Salem vs. Pfeiffer | September 20 | 4 p.m. / 6 p.m. 

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – 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 on Tuesday evening. 

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. 

FIRST SET: Bradley and the Spirits came out firing, grabbing a four-point lead in the early stages of the opening set, before a series of errors resulted in Salem assuming a 10-4 advantage. After seeing its lead trimmed to five, 11-6, kills from Brameus and Bradley stretched the margin to 15-7. With a seven-point advantage in the waning stages, the Spirits converted three assisted blocks, before clinching the 25-14 lead on a kill by Scherer. 

SECOND SET: Methodist broke a six-all deadlock in the opening stages of the set with a 4-1 run to grab a 10-7 lead. After the Spirits answered with a slam from Brameus and a solo block from Anna Rymer, which sliced the deficit to 11-9, Methodist came through with four of the next six points to grab a 15-11 lead on a Hovander slam. The Monarchs fought past a series of kills by Bella Mann to move in front 19-14 and allowed just two Salem points down the stretch to even the match at one with a nine-point win. 

THIRD SET: The Monarchs' offense continued to click in the third frame with a .306 attack percentage that resulted in 16 kills. Fighting back from an early 5-2 deficit, behind a slam from Anna Rymer, Salem evened the match at five early on. However, Methodist put together a 5-1 run, highlighted by a kill from Hannah Hewett to reach double figures, 10-6. Timely kills by Holton kept Methodist in front, but Anna Rymer and Mann delivered a series of kills for the Spirits that resulted in a 16-15 score. Bradley and Scherer drove home strikes of their own to make for an 18-all deadlock, but a surge by the Monarch offense coupled with solid defense provided the spark for a 25-19 victory. 

FOURTH SET: Looking to even the match in the fourth set, Salem traded points with Methodist as the two reached a 5-5 tie with a slam from Johnson. Holton singlehandedly scored three of the next four points for Methodist, which would forge ahead 11-6. Kills by Bradley and Scherer kept the Spirits within striking distance, before an assisted block by Bradley and Johnson resulted in a 13-10 score. The Monarchs answered the challenge with a 5-2 run before a series of slams by Johnson and Brameus trimmed the lead to 18-14. Four kills down the stretch, including two from Anna Rymer, was not enough to stop the Monarchs from claiming the 25-19 win and cinch the first league win of the slate.