This week, Salem Athletics will be hosting five home contests between Soccer and Volleyball.
Volleyball will be starting out the week on Tuesday at __pm where they take on Pfeiffer. Salem opened up their season at Pfeiffer, where they won in straight sets. In this matchup, the Spirits' offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up a whopping 48 kills in just three sets. Both Aspen Bradley and Sadie Rich hit double digit kills with 17 and 10 respectively. Leah Rymer put up a double-double with 10 digs and 36 assists. Madison Bozarth also had 10 digs and Ella Brameus served three aces. This matchup was Salem's fourth 3-0 victory over the Falcons and the Spirits are looking to continue this impressive streak.
Next up is soccer on Wednesday at 3pm where they host Brevard. The Tornados are currently 11-0 overall and are ranked 1st in the USA South. Salem is currently 1-4 against Brevard, with their solo win coming in 2019. In their matchup last season, Darilyn Nieto shot twice with one being on goal. In 2023, Nieto also led the Spirits' defensive effort, with four shots and two on goal. As the postseason grows closer, Salem is looking to make a solid push to secure a spot.
Saturday starts out with Volleyball taking on Mary Baldwin at 12pm. Salem won their matchup back on October 4th in straight sets, marking their 6th straight 3-0 win against the Fighting Squirrels. The Spirits played a dominant match, only giving up 25 points through three sets. As a team, Salem served seven aces and hit .492. The Spirits went on a 16 point run in set one and a 12 point run in set three.
At 2pm, Soccer will be hosting William Peace for their Senior Night. WPU is currently 0-6 in the USA South and 1-9-1 overall. The Spirits are 5-3 against the Pacers, losing their last matchup in a tight 1-0 contest. Nieto once again led the way offensively with six shots, alongside one from Haley Eisenbraun and two from Hallie Kramer. Salem also had eight corner kick opportunities throughout the contest. With their last win coming in September, the Spirits are looking to put another notch in the win column as the season winds down.
The final matchup of the week will be Volleyball at 4pm where they take on Meredith, who is 12-7 overall and 6-3 in the USA South. The Spirits are 5-19 against the Angels, with two of those wins coming last season. In their most recent matchup on October 4th, Meredith took down the Spirits in straight sets. Ariana Noplos led in kills with six and Leah Rymer led in assists with 22. Madison Bozarth, Jolina Bun, and Rymer all put up digs in the double digits. The Spirits are looking to get redemption for their last loss and keep up their impressive home winning streak.
Be sure to head down to the field and the court this week to catch the Spirits in action!
