ETSU wraps up non-league play with three matches this weekend

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team will wrap up its non-conference schedule this weekend when it competes in the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic hosted by Western Kentucky. The Bucs will match up against Western Michigan (Friday @ 2 p.m.), Western Kentucky (Friday @ 7 p.m.) and Ball State (Saturday @ Noon) this weekend. 

ETSU's MATCHES

Friday, Sept. 15 / ETSU vs. Western Michigan / 2 p.m. / Live Stats

Friday, Sept. 15 / ETSU at Western Kentucky / 7 p.m. / Live Stats / ESPN+

Saturday, Sept. 16 / ETSU vs. Ball State / Noon / Live Stats 

ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU dropped a pair of matches last weekend at High Point. The Bucs fell to the Panthers in three sets on Friday before dropping a four-set decision to Davidson on Saturday.  
• Brianna Cantrell (Appleton, Wis.) posted a season-high 18 kills in Saturday's setback to Davidson. Cantrell's 18 kills were not only the most by a Buc this fall but also two shy of matching her career-high of 20 set last season.
• ETSU will be playing in the Bluegrass State for the second time this season as the Bucs opened the year at Northern Kentucky.
• The Bucs have a pair of players that rank among the top 10 in the conference in assists per set and blocks per set. Malgorzata Andersohn (Bydgoszcz, Poland) is currently eighth in assists per set (5.11), while Abbey Thomas (Goldsboro, N.C.) is tenth in blocks per set (0.82). 

ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN

• The Broncos are 9-1 so far this season with the lone setback occurring against Mississippi State back on September 8.
• A player to watch for Western Michigan is their setter Logan Case. No setter in Division I volleyball has accumulated more assists than Case has so far this season with 434.
• Keona Salesman has also been a key cog in WMU's fast start. She has won the conference's offensive player of the week award in three consecutive weeks and ranks 36^th nationally with 137 kills.
• Friday's match will be the first meeting between ETSU and Western Michigan. 

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY

• Western Kentucky has totaled a record of 7-4 so far this season, including a victory over No. 12 Marquette to begin the season.
• The Hilltoppers received votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. WKU has either been ranked or has received votes in 13 consecutive seasons.
• A player to watch for WKU will be Paige Briggs. Briggs was named Conference USA's Preseason Player of the Year earlier this year.
• Friday night's match will be the eighth meeting all-time against the Hilltoppers and Bucs. WKU has come away with the win in six of the seven meetings with ETSU's lone win coming in 1982. 

ABOUT BALL STATE

• Ball State have accumulated a record of 2-7 through the first three weeks of the season. The Cardinals will aim to break a six-match losing skid this weekend in Bowling Green.
• The Cardinals' two wins this season have come against Gonzaga and Purdue Fort Wayne in three sets.
• A player to watch for the Cardinals in Megan Wielonski. Wielonski is coming off a season where she was named the 2022 MAC Setter of the Year.
• ETSU and Ball State have met just once previously and that was back in 2014. Ball State won that contest in four sets in a match played in Richmond, Virginia. 

UP NEXT

The Bucs will open Southern Conference play next Thursday (Sept. 21) when they travel to take on Western Carolina. First serve for that match is set for 6 p.m. 

For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.