Salem Volleyball went on the road tonight and took down another conference opponent, William Peace, in straight sets. This is now their second straight win against the Pacers.
Set one started out tight, with WPU finding a bit of early momentum and taking the lead 7-5. A kill from Bella Mann took the Spirits to their own lead, of 9-7 A few errors from Salem gave the Pacers their last lead of the set at 10-9. The Spirits took control from there, going on their biggest run of the set and taking the lead 14-10. WPU was able to bring it back within one, but a kill from Ella Brameus, an ace from Madison Bozarth, and a kill from Aspen Bradley spurred the Spirits on to a 25-19 set one victory.
Salem got off to a hot start in set two, with Brameus slamming home three early kills and an ace, on top of kills from both Mann and Leah Rymer. It didn't take long for the Spirits to secure an early 10-3 lead. With nearly every hitter securing a kill and the Pacers struggling to find their offense, Salem kept strong momentum going throughout, with their largest lead reaching 20-12. After going point for point and the Pacers saving the set once, Aspen Bradley found the floor for the 6th time to secure a 25-18 win.
Set three was dominated by Salem for the first 12 points, winning 10 of them in one of their most impressive streaks of the matchup. The Pacers were able to bring themselves within fighting distance off of a few kills and service aces, but before WPU could get closer than four points, the Spirits had an answer. Salem went on a seven point run that entailed an ace from Brameus and kills from both Bradley and Rymer. While the Pacers were able to put a few points on the board, they were unable to come back from the 21-11 deficit and the Spirits took home the 25-16 win.
As if a road win could be any more exciting, Junior Libero Madison Bozarth secured her 1000th dig in tonight's matchup. A transfer from Guilford, Bozarth has been a great addition to the Salem lineup and has already made her mark on the program this season.
Tonight's stat leaders were Mann and Bradley with 12 kills, Brameus with three aces, Bradley with two blocks, Rymer with 34 assists, and Bozarth with 18 digs.
The Spirits will next be in action at home on Tuesday at 6pm where they take on Pfeiffer and honor Bozarth for her impressive milestone.
