>Site: 
Roanoke College Tournament | Salem, Va.

>Results: 
Salem 3, Randolph 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-18)
Salem 3, Ferrum 2 (25-27, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 15-6)

>Records: 
Salem (3-2)
Randolph (2-1)
Ferrum (2-2)

>Next Matches
Salem vs. N.C. Wesleyan | September 7 | 10 a.m.
Salem vs. Hollins | September 7 | 2 p.m.

SALEM, Va. – The Salem volleyball team closed out the first day of the Roanoke College Tournament in Salem, Va., with two contrasting victories. Salem closed out the first match with a three set win over Randolph (25-11, 25-12, 25-18) before having to notch a come-from-behind victory against Ferrum (25-27, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 15-6) in the second contest. 

Salem 3, Randolph 0
The junior tandem of Ella Brameus and Aspen Bradley led the way for a Salem unit that picked up its first sweep of the 2024 campaign as the Spirits downed Randolph by scores of 25-11, 25-12, 25-18 in the opening game of the Roanoke College Tournament on Friday afternoon. 

Brameus came through with an all-around performance that included 13 digs, five kills, three service aces and a .273 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Bradley was the lone Spirit with double-digit kills (10), along with a .333 attack percentage of her own. 

The two were joined offensively by Isabella Mann and Maia Johnson, who contributed nine kills apiece. That quartet, which took advantage of a match-high 20 assists from Leah Rymer, led Salem to 40 kills and a .281 attack percentage in the victory. 

Mann also came through with nine digs, while Jolina Bun added eight for the Spirits. 

FIRST SET: The Spirits offense came out firing on all cylinders, posting a .379 attack percentage, highlighted by 14 kills. Meanwhile, the Salem defense kept the WildCats in check with five kills and five errors, resulting in the double-digit victory. Isabella Mann brought the game to a 5-5 deadlock, but Salem used a service ace from Ashlyn Wood to start a 6-0 run and assume command of the game. A series of kills from Ella Brameus, Abrielle Eckenroth and Anna Rymer played a part in pushing the lead to 19-9. Brameus provided the 20th-point with a service ace and Maia Johnson added two kills down the stretch to secure the victory. 

SECOND SET: Johnson kick started the Salem offense into high-gear early in the second, driving home a pass from Jolina Bun to give the Spirits the 3-2 advantage. Randolph miscues opened the door for a Salem run, which extended the lead to 13-4. Bradley drove home three kills, while Johnson added one of her own and Anna Rymer contributed a service ace to help Salem cruise to the 25-12 win. 

THIRD SET: The WildCats scratched their way to an 8-7 lead early in the third frame, but Brameus helped Salem even the contest at 12-all with a service ace. Anna Rymer drove home a kill, as did Bradley and Johnson, to help Salem establish a 15-13 advantage. Six points, with Salem leading 19-17 on a Johnson slam, the Spirits took advantage of three miscues, a Brameus ace and an Eckenroth kill to grab the 24-17 lead. Salem would clinch its third win of the season on a service error by the Wildcats. 

Salem 3, Ferrum 2
Salem won its third straight head-to-head clash against Ferrum and assumed a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series with a 25-27, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 15-6 victory against the Panthers in the afternoon session of the Roanoke College Tournament. 

Three Spirits—Anna Rymer, Mann and Johnson—all tallied 15 kills each for a lineup that notched 67 kills and a .243 attack percentage. Rymer was the best percentage hitter (.429), while Mann posted a .343 attack percentage in the contest. 

Brameus finished tops on the unit in digs (19), notching four more than Bun and three more than teammate McKenzie Tullock. The defense also received six assisted blocks from Anna Rymer and five from Bradley. 

FIRST SET: Maia Johnson helped Salem comeback from a pair of three-point deficits to even the game at seven-all early in the opening frame. However, Ferrum, would answer with a 5-1 run of its own to force the Spirits into a 12-8 deficit following a Jaycee Chaffin slam. Three kills by the Spirits, including slams from Mann and Bradley, knotted the game at 14-all. The Panthers regained momentum of the match, forcing in front 24-19 late, before a Salem rally. The rally was highlighted by a kill from Anna Rymer and a service ace by sister Leah, as Salem pulled even at 24. Chaffin responded with a kill and teamed with Ruthie Richardson on a block to provide the decisive points for Ferrum. 

SECOND SET: The back-and-forth battled that closed the opening set continued into the second, despite Salem jumping out to an early 6-3 lead behind kills from Bradley and Johnson. A Johnson slam, coupled with a service error, allowed Salem to reach double figures, 10-5. However, Ferrum chipped away at the lead and used a Richardson slam and a Salem miscue to even the match at 15-15. Salem regained the lead on slams from Johnson and Eckenroth before five kills down the stretch, including two from Chaffin and Chloe Pfunter, provided the Panthers with the two-game lead in the match. 

THIRD SET: With its back to the wall and facing a setback to Ferrum, Salem answered with 15 kills and a .415 attack percentage in the third set, posting the 10-point victory. Salem opened on a 4-0 run, which included kills by Anna Rymer, Bradley and Brameus in succession. Three kills off the hand of Mann put the Spirits into double-digits, 10-5, before a run by Ferrum trimmed that score to two. The tandem of Bradley and Anna Rymer not only came through with kills during a critical stretch, but they also teamed up for an assisted block as Salem established a 20-13 lead. Mann drove home two kills down the stretch, while Eckenroth added one of her own, to make for a 25-15 Spirits victory. 

FOURTH SET: The two teams endured nine ties in the first 20 points, reaching a 10-all deadlock. It was there that Ferrum scored three consecutive points and would hold a lead until a kill by Bradley along with a block from Anna Rymer and Aspen Bradley evened the contest at 19. Mann slammed home a kill, following a pass from McKenzie Tullock, while Brameus added a service ace as Salem grabbed the 22-19 lead. Salem added three points down the stretch, including kill by Mann, to even the match at two games apiece. 

FIFTH SET: Anna Rymer broke a two-all tie in with a kill and Johnson added three kills in a seven-point stretch, to help Salem establish a 7-4 advantage early in the decisive set. After the Panthers burned their first timeout of the game, Olivia Torres came out to provide the eighth point by virtue of a service ace. With Torres in serve, Ferrum committed two attack errors, allowing Salem to extend its lead to 11-4. Kills by both Brameus and Johnson helped Salem clinch the come-from-behind win over Ferrum in the fifth set by a 15-6 margin.