Salem Volleyball traveled to play in another Tri-Match, taking on a conference opponent in NC Wesleyan, and a non-conference matchup against Roanoke. The Spirits took home two wins at 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.
The Spirits weekend started out with a competitive set one, finding themselves tied six times with NC Wesleyan. Early in the set, Salem was gifted some solid momentum off of five straight errors from the Bishops. The Spirits started to find some offense midway through the set, with kills from Bella Mann and Aspen Bradley. Salem was able to create some separation at 17-14, but NCW rallied back to tie. Bradley and Jacie Jarvis slammed down two kills to go up 19-17, but were answered by the Bishops again. A kill from Ella Brameus and a few errors from NCW pushed Salem back on top at 22-20, but NCW was not going down easy. The Spirits stayed strong, winning three straight thanks to a kill from Ella Brameus, an error from the Bishops, and an ace from Madison Bozarth.
Set two was gearing up to be similar to set one, starting out tied at 4-4, until Salem went on their most dominant streak yet. Six straight points containing four kills from Bradley, Mann, Jarvis, and Sadie Rich, plus an ace from Bradley. The Bishops stayed on Salem's heels, but the Spirits remained solid and kept a strong lead throughout the set, with their largest margin being seven points. The Bishops were able to save two set points after a kill from Jarvis put Salem up 24-17. An untimely service error from NCW gave the Spirits the 25-19 set two win.
After the Bishops won the first three points of set three, Salem regained their momentum from set two, winning seven of the next eight. The Spirits stayed strong, going up 16-13 midway through the set, but were hit with one of NCW's best streaks of the set, finding themselves down 18-16. Salem pushed through the adversity and won nine of the next 11 points to take set three 25-20.
The Spirits started out a bit slow in their second game of the day against non-conference opponent Roanoke, going down 5-10 early in set one. A kill from Brameus and an ace from Bozarth helped pull the Spirits back up to tie it up at 11-11. Offense was firing on both sides, with seven of the next nine points being won off of a kill. More kills coming from Emma Marion, Brameus, and Jarvis helped Salem tie it up twice more, but were held off by Roanoke. Ariana Noplos saved one set point, but it wasn't enough to outlast the Maroons who won 25-22.
Determined to bounce back in set two, the Spirits put up their most dominant set of the day, keeping Roanoke from hitting double digits. After a tight first few points, Salem put up nine points straight, with two kills from both Bradley and Rich, plus one from Mann. The Spirits tacked on another strong streak, winning 10 of the next 13 points, securing their largest margin of lead of the day at 22-5. The Maroons were able to secure four more points before the end of set two, but were outlasted by Salem who took home a 25-9 win.
Salem kept their momentum rolling in set three, finding an early 7-2 lead. Bradley was able to slam home three early kills, coupled with one kill each from Jarvis and Mann. The Spirits stayed consistent, never letting the Maroons string together more than two points in a row. The Leah Rymer-Aspen Bradley connection continued to rack up kills in set three, alongside Sadie Rich putting up one of her best sets of the season. Libero Madison Bozarth even got in on the defensive action, nabbing a kill of her own. Roanoke saved one set point, but Rich found the floor to secure the set 25-13.
The Spirits started their final set of the day on a high note, winning six straight to take an early 6-1 lead. Capitalizing on a few Maroon errors, plus a kill from Mann, Salem found themselves at an eight point deficit, up 10-2. Continuing to add to their lead, the Spirits went on another strong run, winning five straight off kills from Brameus and Jarvis, plus two aces from Olivia Torres. Jolina Bun also secured an ace, helping Salem go up 18-5. Six of the Spirits last seven points came from kills from four different athletes, including Setter Leah Rymer. Jarvis sent home her ninth kill of the matchup to finish the day for the Spirits with a 25-12 set four win.
The Spirits will next be in action on Tuesday, where they travel to take on Brevard.
