JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 18, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team will begin the second half of its Southern Conference schedule this week with matches against Furman and Western Carolina. ETSU will travel to Furman on Thursday before returning to Johnson City on Saturday to host Western Carolina. Thursday's match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., while Saturday's is set for a 6 p.m. first serve.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Thursday Oct. 19 / ETSU at Furman / 7 p.m. / Live Stats / ESPN+
Saturday Oct. 21 / Western Carolina at ETSU / 6 p.m. / Live Stats 
 
ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU went 1-1 last week. The Buccaneers picked up a 3-0 sweep of Wofford on Friday night before suffering a 3-0 setback to The Citadel on Saturday. With those results, the Bucs are 2-17 overall and 2-6 in league play.
• A key in ETSU's win over the Terriers was the Bucs' work from the service line. The Bucs totaled a season-high 10 aces in the win. Malgorzata Andersohn led the way with five with Alex Kreutzmann added four and Kanon Miyaki added another. The last time the Bucs had 10 or more aces in a match was on October 15, 2022 vs. The Citadel
• The two matches this week will mark the start of the second half of the SoCon schedule. In 2022, the Bucs went a perfect 8-0 in league matches in the back half of their conference schedule.
• Brianna Cantrell paced the Bucs in scoring in both of the matches last week and continues to be one of the more consistent offensive players in the SoCon. In league matches, Cantrell ranks sixth in scoring with 110 (3.67 points/set).

ABOUT FURMAN

• Furman enters this week's action with an overall record of 13-6 and 4-4 in SoCon action.
• The Paladin defense remains a strength for the team as it ranks second only to Wofford among SoCon teams in opponent hitting percentage (.161). On a national level, that ranks 25^th in Division I volleyball.
• Furman has been a much tougher team at home compared to on the road this season. At home, the Paladins are 5-1 compared to an 8-5 mark in road or neutral site matches.
• The Paladins outlasted the Bucs in five sets earlier this season. With that win, Furman takes the lead in the all-time series, 35-34. ETSU will look for its seventh win in its last eight trips to Greenville on Thursday.

ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA

• The Catamounts sit directly in front of the Bucs in the league standings with an overall record of 6-13 and a 3-5 mark in conference play.
• WCU's work at the net has been a highlight for the team this fall. Only Wofford (2.61) and Furman (2.22) average more blocks per set than the Catamounts (1.94) among Southern Conference schools.
• A player to watch for Western Carolina is Ali Morris. Morris paces WCU in not only kills (206) but also digs (228).
• ETSU is 48-43 all-time against Western Carolina. The Catamounts, however, came away with a five-set victory when the two teams met in Cullowhee earlier this season. ETSU is 5-1 against Western Carolina in the Catamounts' last six trips to Johnson City.

UP NEXT
Following this week's action, the Bucs will head out on the road to take on Chattanooga and UNC Greensboro on October 27-28.
 
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.