GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct 26, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball result swept UNC Greensboro 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-21) in Greensboro on Saturday.

The Bucs (13-8, 5-4 SoCon) notched 52 kills in the match, marking the first time ETSU has broken 50 kills in a sweep this season. Junior middle blocker Whitley Rammel led the way with 13 kills on .706 hitting, her best qualifying mark of the season. Freshman outside hitter Makayla Bays posted her third consecutive double-double, tallying 11 kills and digs.

ETSU's strong attack held UNCG (7-15, 2-8) to season lows in both digs (35) and total blocks (3). The Bucs' .374 hitting percentage is their second best of the season, trailing only the .459 posted against Kennesaw State in September. Both the Kennesaw State and UNCG matches featured Buc hitters with identical 13 kill, .706 hitting stat lines, as senior outside hitter Amanda Lowe did so in the former match.

The Bucs' Saturday win marked a regular season sweep of the Spartans, and ETSU now leads the all-time series 35-12. Devine earned her 19th win over UNCG and her eighth in Greensboro.

ETSU flew out of the gate in the first set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind a pair of aces from graduate setter Reese Rhodes. The Spartans tied the match at six but did not lead in the set, as the Bucs' middles dominated. Rammel and senior Abbey Thomas posted six and four kills, respectively, as the Blue & Gold tallied 78% on side out opportunities to win the set 25-14.

The Spartans picked up the pace in the second set. The two squads played to a 5-5 tie before sophomore setter Enisilina Savelio engineered a 3-0 run from the service line, including an assist to Rhodes for a kill. A few points later, the Bucs forced UNCG's second timeout of the set, after which the Spartans worked their way to a 21-20 deficit. ETSU maintained the lead behind a pair of kills from Lowe. Rhodes ended the set with her third ace of the night to give ETSU a 25-21 set win.

The final set was back-and-forth, with 12 ties and three lead changes after just five and two combined in the prior sets. UNCG took a 15-14 lead into the media timeout, but Bays tied the match on the other side of the stoppage with a kill. The Spartans then took a 20-17 lead, but a trio of errors and Bays kill brought the Bucs back to a tie. With the freshman serving, ETSU closed the match on a 6-0 run and four kills, including two from Rammel, one from Lowe and the match-sealer from Rhodes.

Next, ETSU returns home for a rare midweek SoCon match against Furman (8-10, 2-5 SoCon) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 after the initial contest with the Paladins was rescheduled due to Hurricane Helene. For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.