ETSU opens home schedule on Saturday vs. Furman
CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Sept. 21, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team battled but ultimately fell in five sets (25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 25-22, 7-15) on the road at Western Carolina Thursday evening in Southern Conference action.
Stat Standouts – Brianna Cantrell (Appleton, Wis.) registered a double-double as she logged a career-high 21 kills and added 11 digs to lead the Bucs against the Catamounts. Amanda Lowe (Blacksburg, Va.) added 12 kills of her own to help fuel ETSU's offense. Overall, five different Bucs totaled 11 or more digs on Thursday paced by 13 from Melanie Morris (Maryville, Tenn.). Malgorzata Andersohn (Bydgoszcz, Poland) picked up another double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs as well.
Set 1 – There was not a ton of separation through most of Thursday's opening set. However, ETSU's offense proved to be more efficient than Western Carolina's. The Bucs attacked at a match-high .333 clip with 13 kills on 27 attempts in the opening stanza. With the Buc offense clicking, they won the opening frame, 25-21.
Set 2 – Riding momentum from taking the first set, ETSU got off to a good start in the second. The Bucs led 11-8 after a kill from Cantrell. Western Carolina kept battling though and reeled off a 6-0 run to put the pressure back on ETSU. The Bucs were able to chip the Catamount lead down to two points, 20-18, but Western Carolina closed the second set on a 5-1 run to even the match at a set a piece, 25-19.
Set 3 – Much like the Bucs did in the first set, the Catamount offense hit over .300 in the third. Western Carolina put together its highest hitting percentage of the night in the third (.320) on 25 attacks. Even with the Catamount offense finding its rhythm, the Bucs only trailed by a pair of points, 21-19, after a kill from Cantrell. A timeout refocused the Catamounts and they wrapped up the third on a 4-1 run to take the frame, 25-20.
Set 4 – The fourth set proved to be the most competitive of the contest. Overall, there were 11 tied scores and four lead changes. The last tie occurred with the Bucs and Catamounts knotted up at 20-20. A pair of WCU attack errors, two kills from Lowe and another by Cantrell gave the Bucs the 25-22 set victory and force a fifth set.
Set 5 – Playing in their first fifth set of the season, the Bucs struggled to find rhythm in the match-deciding frame. 10 of the first 14 points in the fifth went in favor of Western Carolina. ETSU cut into the deficit a bit but ultimately dropped the fifth frame, 15-7.
Next Up – ETSU will play its first home match of the season on Saturday when it welcomes Furman to Brooks Gym. First serve between the Bucs and Paladins is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.
