ETSU continues homestand with matches vs. UNC Greensboro & Chattanooga next week

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 23, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team jumped out to an early lead on Saturday in its home opener versus Furman. Unfortunately, the Paladins rallied to down the Bucs in five sets (25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 25-27, 4-15). 

Stat Standouts – ETSU had a trio of players reach double figures in kills on Saturday. Brianna Cantrell (Appleton, Wis.) led the charge with 13 kills with the duo of Lundyn Coffman (Nolensville, Tenn.) and Amanda Lowe (Blacksburg, Va.) added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Malgorzata Andersohn (Bydgoszcz, Poland) notched another double-double finishing with 40 assists and 13 digs. Finally, Jasmal Cruz (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) paced the Buccaneer defense with 23 digs. 

Set 1 – The opening frame of Saturday's match was the most competitive of the night. At 16 different points the Buccaneers and Paladins were tied and there were also nine lead changes. ETSU's offense recorded a match-high 15 kills in the first set to get the score tied up at 23-23. Back-to-back Furman attack errors led to a set win for the Bucs, 25-23. 

Set 2 – The second set was all ETSU. The Bucs, who had 13 kills in the set, grew their lead to as many as 11 points over the Paladins. ETSU used their stellar offense to go along with four blocks to cruise past Furman in the second, 25-15. 

Set 3 – Facing a two-set deficit, the Paladins were able to keep the match going with a 25-20 win in the third set. The turning point in the frame occurred with the score in ETSU's favor, 18-17. However, a 7-0 run from Furman rapidly turned the score to 24-18 Paladins before winning by the previously mentioned 25-20 final score. 

Set 4 – With the Bucs still leading 2-1, they continued to battle in the fourth. Furman looked like it might run away with the set as it led 17-12. However, the Bucs clawed back to tie the score at 22. The two teams traded the next few points before Furman ultimately won the set to force a fifth, 27-25. 

Set 5 – As dominant as ETSU was in the second, Furman was equally as good in the match-deciding fifth set. The Paladins racked up eight kills on 18 attacks with no errors to go along with three blocks to run away with the fifth set, 15-4. 

Next Up – ETSU will be back in Brooks Gym for its next match when it battles UNC Greensboro next Thursday. First serve for that tilt is set for 6 p.m. 

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