Salem Volleyball traveled to take on Southern Virginia this evening and fell in straight sets.

After losing to Salem earlier in the season, SVU came out ready to play, winning five of the first six points. The only place the Knights seemed to be struggling was their serve, with the Spirits scoring three of their first five points on service errors. Aspen Bradley, Sadie Rich, and Ella Brameus were able to find some offense, but SVU was having a great blocking night, making it difficult for Salem to string more than a few points together at a time. A kill from Leah Rymer saved one set point, but the Knights ultimately prevailed 25-14. 

SVU kept their momentum going into set two, winning the first six points with five kills. The Spirits had an answer soon after, coming off the hand of Bella Mann, who snagged three kills in a five-point run. After getting within two, the Knights pulled away again, requiring another Spirits response. Some great offense from Brameus and Ariana Noplos, followed by an ace from Jolina Bun tied it up at 12. Salem continued to find some offense and started forcing errors from SVU, staying right at their heels for the remainder of the set. A kill from Brameus and an ace from Madison Bozarth saved two set points, tied it up at 24, forcing set two to go the distance. Ultimately, the Knights were able to secure the win 26-14.

Both teams kept up the strong competition in set three, starting out with Salem taking their first lead of the matchup early, going up 3-1. SVU had a quick answer, rattling off six straight. Capitalizing on a few Knight errors, the Spirits were able to tie it up four times before going on a four point run to take the lead 19-17. SVU, however, found their rhythm again, only letting up one more point on their way to a 25-20 set three win. 

Today's stat leaders for Salem were Ella Brameus with 11 kills, Leah Rymer with 28 assists and Madison Bozarth with 12 digs. 

The Spirits will next be in action on Saturday where they travel to take on Methodist.