GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct 25, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball defeated Furman 3-1 (20-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-22) in Greenville on Friday.

Freshman outside hitter Makayla Bays led the Bucs with a 13 kill, 11 dig double-double. Graduate setter Reese Rhodes also had a 32 assist, ten dig double-double and senior middle blocker Abbey Thomas had six kills and eight blocks (three solo).

The Paladins (8-10, 2-5 SoCon) took the first set after jumping out to an early lead and maintaining it throughout the set behind the strong home crowd at Alley Gymnasium. Furman led by as much as eight at 18-10 before an ETSU run cut the lead to 18-14. The Bucs were able to narrow the margin to three, but no further, and Furman won set one 25-20.

ETSU responded in emphatic fashion in the second set. Rhodes earned the first point of the set on an ace and ETSU never trailed in the set. Four blocks (one solo from Thomas) and three aces, combined with six players recording kills on .258 hitting and a pair of runs with Thomas and junior outside hitter Brianna Cantrell propelled ETSU to a 25-15 set win.

The first six points of the second set went back and forth for ties before the Bucs took the lead for good. A pair of kills from Thomas and Rhodes forced Furman's first timeout with the score 11-7, and ETSU did not look back. Bays had five of her kills in the set, and the Blue & Gold recorded 73% on side-out opportunities in both the second and third set en route to its 25-14 win. 

Despite the Bucs' dominant second and third set wins largely putting a damper on the home crowd, the Paladin faithful once again made an impact in the final set. The last frame featured 16 separate tie scores and nine lead changes, as both teams fought for momentum. Eight Bucs tallied digs in the set and six notched kills. With the set tied at 22, the Paladins recorded an attack error. Junior opposite Isabelle Iosua hammered down a kill to give the Bucs match point, and Thomas cinched the contest with an ace.

Next, ETSU heads north to face UNC Greensboro (7-14, 2-7 SoCon) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.