JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 14, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team notched its first postseason win since 2019 as it upended UNC Greensboro in four sets (25-12, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17) in the First Round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Tuesday night at Brooks Gym.
 
Stat Standouts – A trio of Buccaneers scored in double figures on Tuesday. Brianna Cantrell led the way with 12 kills and a pair of aces. Jenna Forster totaled 11 kills and attacked at a .296 clip. Finally, Lundyn Coffman picked up eight kills of her own and added a solo block to go with four block assists. Defensively, Malgorzata Andersohn led the way with 17 digs to go with her 23 assists and Jasmal Cruz was not far behind with 15 digs.
 
Set 1 – ETSU had things rolling in the opening stanza. Five different Bucs had two kills or more in the frame. Forster led the charge with four kills on four attempts. Collectively, ETSU attacked the Greensboro defense at a .417 clip. UNCG's offense did not have any answers to ETSU's offense as it totaled as many kills as it had errors (six) in the opening set. The disparity in production led to a 25-12 set win for the Bucs.
 
Set 2 – The second set proved much tighter than the first. ETSU started well scoring seven of the first nine points. However, UNCG battled to tie the score at 9-9. The score would be tied at five other points in the second stanza. The last of these ties occurred at 24-24. The Bucs would find key points, however, with a kill from Foster and block put up by Cantrell and Abbey Thomas to finish off the second, 26-24.
 
Set 3 – Facing a three-set defeat, UNC Greensboro took advantage of ETSU mistakes to prolong Tuesday's match. Overall, the Bucs committed 11 errors in the third set. With those free points, Greensboro took the lead at 8-7 and never looked back on its way to a 25-22 win.
 
Set 4 – The fourth frame began with both teams jostling for momentum. ETSU and UNCG were knotted at 9-9 before a 6-0 run by the Bucs gained some separation for the home team. The Spartans never got closer than five points as the Bucs went on to finish off their third win over UNCG this season, 25-17.
 
Next Up – ETSU, now 6-22, will face off against top-seeded The Citadel this Friday in Spartanburg, S.C. in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs won both matches between the two programs this season. First serve between the Bucs and Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+. For more information on the SoCon Tournament, click HERE.
 
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