Salem Athletics is continuing their conference schedule this week, taking on 3 different conference teams.
Salem Soccer opens up the week of competition with a home contest against Mary Baldwin at 3pm on Wednesday. MBU was ranked 7th in the preseason poll and has a 7-1-1 record so far this season. The Spirits and Fighting Squirrels have faced off 6 times, with Salem winning two of the contests. In their matchup last year, MBU took home a 3-1 win. The Spirits lone goal came from the foot of Giselle Ramos early in the first half, with Darilyn Nieto also putting up five shots. Salem Soccer is looking to build off some solid momentum after their tie with the reigning Conference Champions last Saturday.
Salem Volleyball will follow soon after, with their contest at Greensboro College. GC was ranked 2nd coming into the fall and has a 9-2 record. Last season, the Spirits won both of their contests against the Pride 3-2 and 3-0, breaking a seven-game losing streak against them. Between the two matchups, Aspen Bradley had 30 kills, Leah Rymer had 64 assists, and Olivia Torres had 18 digs. This matchup is very important for Salem, as GC is the only program that ranks higher than them in the current USA South Standings.
Salem Volleyball will also be making up their postponed contest against Methodist on Thursday at 7pm.
Cross Country will be competing again this week as well, traveling to Kernersville for the Spartan Classic hosted by University of North Carolina Greensboro. The Spirits are excited to compete in their second official meet of the season and continue building their new program.
To finish out their week, Salem Volleyball will also be playing in a Tri-Match Hosted by Mary Baldwin, where they will also take on Meredith. The Spirits are 18-2 against MBU, with their last five matchups being won in straight sets. After being ranked at the bottom of the preseason poll, the Fighting Squirrels enter the matchup with a 5-7 record. Between their two contests in 2024, the Spirits hit at .344 and racked up 77 kills. Against Meredith, Salem secured two of their five wins all time last season, with 3-0 and 3-1 results. In both matchups, the Spirits were on fire offensively, never ending a set with less than 12 kills, Bradley leading the charge with 33 kills. Meredith was ranked 5th in the preseason poll and are currently 8-6 on the season. Playing at a high level in both of these matchups is key as the Spirits look to make another deep run in the Conference Tournament.
Stay tuned in to @salemathletics on Instagram and Facebook for more updates throughout the week.
