Friday, August 24, 2007

(Aug. 24, 2007) - The Volley Bucs opened their 2007 campaign falling in three games to the host Panthers at the Georgia State Invitational Friday afternoon, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.

"It was hard for us to get into any flow today," said head coach Lindsey Devine.  "Some of that was to be expected with so many new players in the fold.  A lot of the ladies are still on a learning curve."

Six Lady Bucs saw their first collegiate action Friday afternoon, as ETSU must replace four graduated seniors off of last season's Atlantic Sun Championship team.  Freshman Desiree Dyck (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) led the way for the Lady Bucs offensively with 17 kills in her collegiate debut, while freshman Dani Howe, also seeing her first collegiate action, was one of three Lady Bucs with double-digit digs, notching 10.

Senior Marissa Mortensen (Elk Grove, Ill.) directed the Lady Bucs attack with 30 assists, and was also a presence on the back row, collecting 12 digs for her first career double-double.  Fellow senior Kaena Apana (Waianae, Hawaii) led the way from the back, digging up 22 balls for the contest.

"I was very pleased with our defense today," said Devine, whose squad posted six blocks on the afternoon.  "We had a chance to win, but we couldn't capitalize at key moments, and a lot of that is our youth showing.  As we mature we'll fight through those tough parts of the match and have a great deal of success."

The Lady Bucs continue the tournament Saturday with a pair of matches. ETSU takes on UCF at 9:30 a.m. and concludes the weekend with a 2 p.m. tilt against Fordham.