JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 2, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball lost in four sets (26-24, 16-25, 23-25, 23-25) to Mercer on Saturday.

Freshman outside hitter Makayla Bays led the Bucs with a 15 kill, 12 dig double-double. Junior middle blocker Whitley Rammel added 12 kills and four blocks.

ETSU (15-9, 7-5 SoCon) won the back-and-forth first set 26-24 behind six kills from Bays and three each from Rammel and junior opposite Isabelle Iosua. The set, which saw eight ties and six lead changes, was tied at 21 and 22 after ETSU led for much of the early going. The Bucs staved off a set point with one of Bays' kills. Rammel and graduate setter Reese Rhodes combined for a block to give ETSU its own set point. The star freshman closed the set with her sixth kill of the set.

Mercer (19-4, 10-1 SoCon) responded immediately in the second set, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. The Bears didn't look back, winning the frame 25-16. Skye Ekes had five of her 16 kills in the set.

The third set proceeded in a similar fashion to the first, with Mercer taking a 20-17 lead after a 17-17 tie. The three point lead tied the largest either team would have in the set. The Bucs fought back, drawing within one twice before staving off a pair of set points, but ETSU was unable to complete the comeback and fell 25-23.

The fourth set, like the first and third, was close throughout. The final two sets had 22 ties and seven lead changes combined. The largest lead Mercer extended was four at 19-15 before the Bucs battled back to tie the set at 21. Junior outside hitter Brianna Cantrell notched a kill, but ETSU once again fell just short of the comeback, losing the set and match 25-23.

The Bucs return to action at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, against The Citadel. For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.