Friday, October 28, 2005

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (October 28, 2005) - With the fall sports seasons winding down, the East Tennessee State volleyball, soccer, and men's and women's cross country teams have busy weekends on tap, with soccer wrapping up regular season play, volleyball playing a pair of crucial Atlantic Sun matches, and cross country heading into the A-Sun Championships.

Volleyball begins the weekend on Friday night, as Mercer comes to Brooks Gym for a 7 p.m. start time.  The Lady Bucs, currently 16-9, 2-4 in the A-Sun, are ranked fifth in the Conference with only two of six playoff spots up for grabs.  The Bears enter the weekend at 7-15, 1-5 in Conference play.  ETSU will only get a few hours rest before Stetson invades Brooks Gym, at 12 p.m. on Saturday.  The Hatters are 8-14, 2-6, as of Friday morning.

Buccaneer soccer, which has already claimed an A-Sun playoff spot, will close out the regular season on Saturday, with Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m., at Liberty Bell Soccer Complex.  The Bucs, currently 8-10, 4-6 in league play, will be the fifth seed in next week's A-Sun tournament, which starts on Thursday, November 3, in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Elsewhere, the men's and women's cross country teams will become the first ETSU program to compete in an A-Sun Championship event, as they travel to Buies Creek, N.C., for the A-Sun Cross Country Championships on Saturday.  The men's team was ranked second in the latest A-Sun coaches poll, while the women were tabbed fifth.  The men's 8,000-meter race kicks off at 9 a.m., with the women's 5,000-meter run to follow at 10 a.m.

Keep track of all the weekend's events on ETSUBucs.com.