JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 4, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team closed out its regular season home schedule on Saturday with a four-set loss to Mercer (25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 27-25) at Brooks Gym.
Stat Standouts – Senior
Jenna Forster led the charge for the Bucs in perhaps her final match in Brooks Gym as she totaled 17 kills on the night, which was her most in 2023.
Amanda Lowe added 12 kills and had an efficient attacking effort (.323 hitting percentage).
Malgorzata Andersohn once again filled the stat sheet with 24 assists, 15 digs and added four aces, while
Abbey Thomas chipped in six kills (.385 hitting percentage) with seven block assists.
Set 1 – Mercer put together its best offensive performance to start Saturday's match. Collectively, the Bears totaled 16 kills on 34 tries with just three misfires for a .294 hitting percentage. Even with Mercer's offense clicking, ETSU was tied with the Bears as late as 17-17. However, the Bears sparked a 4-0 run right after that to seize the momentum on their way to a 25-21 set win.
Set 2 – When the two teams resumed the match for the second set, it was ETSU's offense that began to find its rhythm. Forster totaled six kills by herself on 11 tries with no errors (.545 hitting percentage) and Lowe added three as well. All four of Andersohn's aces came in the second frame as well. Even with those factors working, Mercer had a chance to take the second stanza as well with a 24-22 lead. A 4-0 run by the Bucs swung the set ETSU's way and it evened the match at a set a piece, 26-24.
Set 3 – Forster added five more kills in the third. However, the Bears offense was not only effective but also balanced. Mercer had three players collect five kills in the third and totaled 19 kills as a team. The back-and-forth offensive battle led to the score being knotted at 23-23 before Mercer picked up back-to-back points to regain the lead in the match, 25-23.
Set 4 – Facing a four-set defeat, ETSU battled the Bears tough. The score was tied at 14 different points and the lead changed hands seven times. Mercer built a four-point lead at 20-16. ETSU rallied to tie the score at 21. The two teams were tied again at 22, 23, 24 and 25. Just like it did in the third set, Mercer found key points when it needed it as it picked up the next two points to finish off the match, 27-25.
Next Up – ETSU, now 5-20 overall and 5-9 in SoCon play, will return to action on Friday when it visits The Citadel in another SoCon clash. First serve between the Bucs and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m.
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.
