JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct 9, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball continues SoCon play at home this weekend.
The Bucs (9-6, 1-0 SoCon) return home to face The Citadel at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, and at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, vs. Wofford.
ETSU dropped a pair of matches over the weekend to Mercer (1-3; 25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 18-25) and Samford (0-3; 19-25, 20-25, 20-25). Freshman
Makayla Bays was a bright spot for the Bucs in the loss to Samford, recording career highs in both kills (11) and hitting percentage (.417).
Graduate setter
Reese Rhodes has been crucial to the Bucs' early season success, leading the squad in assists (507) and aces (19). Senior outside hitter
Amanda Lowe has tallied 170 kills, sophomore libero
Melanie Morris has 186 digs and senior middle blocker
Abbey Thomas has 57 blocks, all of which lead the team.
The Citadel enters Thursday's match at 8-7 (2-2 SoCon). The Bulldogs have conference wins over Wofford and UNCG, and dropped matches to Mercer and Western Carolina. The Citadel also played a pair of Power-4 opponents in then-No. 2 Nebraska and Alabama, and fell to a common opponent of ETSU, Kennesaw State.
The Bulldogs are led by Ali Ruffin, who has totaled 198 kills and 238 digs. Belle Hogan has 468 assists and 18 aces, and Aaliyah Byers has 50 blocks. ETSU is 29-4 all-time vs. The Citadel, and Devine is 13-0, including a 7-0 mark at home. The Bulldogs won the last matchup 3-0 in 2023.
Wofford enters the weekend at 11-5 (3-1 SoCon). The Terriers played several common opponents with ETSU in nonconference play with similar results, defeating Queens 3-0 and falling to App State 3-2. Additionally, they notched a five set home win over then-No. 15 Tennessee. In conference play, Wofford boasts wins over Samford, UNCG and Chattanooga, but fell on the road to The Citadel.
The Terriers are led by Sarah MacLean, who has 184 kills on the campaign. Taylor Pecht has 336 assists and Maddy Frazier has 20 aces. Laney Klika has tallied 328 digs on the season, which leads the SoCon, and Annemarie Rakoski has 55 blocks. ETSU holds a 28-11 all-time advantage over the Terriers. Devine is 12-4 vs. Wofford, but just 4-3 at Brooks Gymnasium. The Terriers won the most recent match 3-2 in 2023.
Volleyball will sell tickets for matches during the 2024 season. Tickets for each match are $5 and can be purchased online at
https://etsutickets.com/ or in person prior to the game. Season tickets are available for $40, faculty/staff season tickets are available for $20, group rate (10+) tickets are available for $3/ticket and ETSU students can attend for free.
After Friday's match, the ETSU Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. inside the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall at the Martin Center. Buc volleyball alumna Megan Devine Ailshie, along with three other former ETSU athletes, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Tickets to the ceremony are $30 and can be purchased at
ETSUTickets.com.
Both matches will be available on ESPN+. For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.
