It is another busy week for our Salem Student-Athletes! Here is a quick look at all that is ahead.
The week starts out with Soccer traveling to take on Pfeiffer on Tuesday at 7pm. The Falcons currently have a 1-7 record overall, with their win coming from a matchup with William-Peace. Salem's record against Pfeiffer is 3-3-1. In their most recent contest in 2024, the Falcons secured the lone goal of the matchup in the 30th minute. The Spirits did create eight shot opportunities throughout the game and had four corner kicks. In 2023, Salem and Pfeiffer tied 2-2, with both goals coming from the foot of Darilyn Nieto. The Spirits will be looking to tack on their first Conference win of 2025.
Next on the docket is Volleyball who will be hosting Brevard at 6pm on Wednesday. The Tornadoes come into this week's matchup 4-13 overall and 2-4 in Conference play. The two squads have faced off nine times, with the last eight contests won by the Spirits. Three of those wins came from last season as they faced off in the first round of the USA South Conference Tournament, as well as two regular season matchups. Between the three 2024 matchups, Salem racked up 156 kills, 12 blocks, and 16 aces. With their nearly 30 game home win streak, the Spirits are ready to build on their strong performances against the Tornadoes last year.
Friday has two Salem teams competing, starting first with Cross Country who is running in the Royals Classic in Charlotte, NC. All five runners who competed for Salem last week recorded Personal Bests in the Spartan Classic. Their top finisher was Triana Smallwood with a time of 25:41 and improving by 3:42. The Spirits are excited to continue growing this Friday and tack on a few more PBs.
Volleyball will also be competing on Friday where they travel to William Peace for a 6pm matchup. WPU is currently 7-10 overall with an 0-5 Conference record. They have faced off with Salem 22 times, with the Spirits winning seven of their matchups. Last season, they played in the USA South Conference Tournament Semi-Finals, where Salem won in straight sets. The regular season matchups were split, the Spirits winning the first 3-1, then losing the next with the Pacers taking the second with the same result. In their contests last season combined, Salem put up 156 kills, 19 blocks, and 14 aces. Currently ranked 3rd in the USA South, the Spirits are wanting to continue adding on Conference wins as they look ahead to the post season.
Finishing out a busy week, Soccer will be heading to NC Wesleyan for an 4pm matchup on Saturday. The Bishops are 2-7-1 overall and 1-3 in the USA South. Salem has won eight games and lost five over the years, falling 3-1 in their most recent contest in 2024. The Spirits out-shot the Bishops 16-8, but only Giselle Ramos was able to find the back of the net late in the game. With NCWU only one spot above Salem in the current USA South standings, this is a key game for the Spirit's postseason seeding.
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