JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team will return home to Brooks Gym this weekend to host Wofford and The Citadel in Southern Conference action. Friday's match, which will be streamed on ESPN+, will begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday's will get underway at 8 p.m.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Friday, Oct. 13 / Wofford vs. ETSU / 6 p.m. / Live Stats / ESPN+
Saturday Oct. 14 / The Citadel vs. ETSU / 8 p.m. / Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions on the road to Mercer and Samford last weekend. With the pair of losses, the Bucs are 1-16 overall and 1-5 in SoCon play.
• The Bucs look to build upon their recent home court advantage at Brooks Gym this weekend. Over the past two seasons, ETSU is 11-3 at home (.790 winning percentage). The .790 home winning percentage is the best among SoCon schools during that timeframe.
• Last weekend Jasmal Cruz picked up 1,500^th dig as a collegiate player. Among active players, Cruz ranks 35^th among Division I players with 1,503 digs. Cruz currently ranks 10^th in the conference with 192 digs. Another Buccaneer nearing a milestone is Lundyn Coffman as she needs one more block for her 300^th in a Buccaneer uniform.
• Since moving into conference play, Brianna Cantrell has boosted her play on offense. The sophomore outside hitter ranks sixth in the SoCon with 77 kills (3.21 per set) in league matches. Furthermore, Cantrell is fifth in the conference in scoring in SoCon play with 89 points.   

ABOUT WOFFORD

• Wofford enters Friday's match in Johnson City sporting an overall record of 14-3, including a 5-1 mark in conference action.
• The Terriers have one of the best defenses not only in the SoCon but also nationally. Wofford ranks sixth in the country in opposing team's hitting percentage (.143). Additionally, the Terriers are the SoCon's top team on the block averaging 2.65 denials per frame.
• Fueling Wofford's dominance on the block has largely been the duo of Sarah Barham and Millie Loehr. Barham and Loehr rank first and second in the conference in blocks and blocks per set and are the only players in the league that are averaging better than one block per set (1.33 & 1.18).
• ETSU and Wofford have clashed a total of 37 times over the years with the Bucs holding the edge, 27-10. The Buccaneers swept the season series last fall but prior to that the Terriers won four straight over ETSU.

ABOUT THE CITADEL

• The Bulldogs are one of just three teams in Division I volleyball that are undefeated this season (18-0) joining Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Bulldogs' 18 victories so far in 2023 are already a new program record.
• A player to watch for The Citadel is Ali Ruffin. Ruffin ranks third in the nation with 326 kills and fifth in points with 368.
• As team, The Citadel paces the SoCon in kills per set (17.72), hitting percentage (.242), assists per set (12.93), and aces (136).  
• ETSU is 29-1 all-time against The Citadel with the first meeting occurring in 1998. The Bulldogs' lone win against the Bucs came during the spring season in 2021 where they came away with a five-set victory at Brooks Gym. 

UP NEXT
Following this weekend's matches against The Citadel and Wofford, the Bucs will travel to take Furman on October 19 before returning home on October 21 to battle Western Carolina.
 
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.