ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Salem College women's volleyball (19-5, 10-3 USA South) secured its 10th USA South Conference victory of the season with a commanding 3-0 sweep over N.C. Wesleyan (6-16, 1-11 USA South)on Saturday afternoon at Everett Gymnasium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 ( Salem 25, N.C. Wesleyan 14)
The opening set featured eight ties and three lead changes before Salem took control. Trailing 11-7, Salem responded with four consecutive points to even the score at 11. After falling behind 12-11, Salem used a 7-0 run to establish an 18-12 advantage.
Salem continued its offensive momentum, closing the set with six unanswered points to secure a 25-14 victory. Scherer led the offense with five kills, while
Sadie Rich added four. Salem recorded 19 kills and hit .421 in the opening frame.
SET 2 (Salem 25, N.C. Wesleyan 12)
The second set began with both teams exchanging points before Salem pulled away. Trailing 6-5, Salem put together an eight-point scoring run to take a 13-6 lead, highlighted by kills from Scherer and
Tessa Vance and a service ace from
Jolina Bun.
Salem extended its advantage with another scoring run, building a 22-8 lead. N.C. Wesleyan attempted to respond, but kills from
Ariana Noplos and Rich sealed the 25-12 victory.
SET 3 (Salem 25, N.C. Wesleyan 12)
Salem carried its momentum into the final set, using a dominant scoring run to build an early advantage. Leading 5-3, Salem scored 11 consecutive points behind Bun's serving to extend its lead to 16-3.
Scherer powered the offense with seven kills in the frame, while Noplos contributed four. Salem maintained control down the stretch before a block by Noplos secured the 25-12 victory and completed the three-set sweep.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Ellie Scherer registered, 16 kills with a .517 hitting percentage
- Ariana Noplos recorded 7 kills with a .538 hitting percentage, 2 solo blocks and 1 service ace.
- Jolina Bun tallied 22 assists.
- Sadie Lippard led the defense with 23 digs.
- Salem finished with a .381 hitting percentage compared to N.C. Wesleyan's .066. The team also held a 51-22 advantage in kills and recorded five service aces.
