SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Nov. 23, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball lost 3-1 (21-25, 22-25, 25-19, 18-25) to Wofford in the semifinals of the Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship.

Senior outside hitter Amanda Lowe led the Bucs with 10 kills and junior middle blocker Whitley Rammel added nine on .533 hitting. Graduate setter Reese Rhodes finished with 33 assists, five kills and a block.

The two squads battled to a 14-14 tie in the opening set before the Terriers slowly pulled away, taking a 15-14 lead into the media timeout and extending its lead from there to win the set 25-21.

The second set held more of the same for both teams. Wofford took a narrow 15-13 lead into the media timeout, but got the first point out of the break. ETSU kept the set close, and battled back to tie the set at 21, but the Terriers got two points after their timeout at the tie, and took the set 25-22.

The Bucs refused to go down without a fight. With their backs against the wall in the third set, sophomore libero Melanie Morris kickstarted a 3-0 lead with an ace. The Bucs held off Wofford's rally attempts to lead 15-12 at the media timeout. The Terriers earned points out of a pair of their timeouts, but neither led to a run. ETSU didn't trail in the set, as Lowe and Rhodes both collected four kills, and the Bucs took the set 25-19.

Wofford leaned on its home court advantage in the final frame, riding an energetic crowd to a quick 10-4 lead. ETSU wasn't done, as senior defensive specialist Haley Sanders checked in to serve and led the Bucs on a run that included a pair of aces – her first of the season after missing most of the campaign due to injury – sandwiched around a Wofford timeout. 

ETSU drew within two at 11-9, but would get no closer as the Terriers regained momentum and went on a final run of their own. The Bucs staved off a trio of set points at the end, but it wasn't enough, and fell 25-18.

The loss marked the end of the collegiate careers for Lowe, Rhodes, Thomas and Forster. Sanders, the fifth senior on the squad, has elected to use her final year of eligibility in 2025.
Thomas, Rhodes and Lowe all finished with the best all-around seasons of their careers.

Rhodes was the last of the four to arrive at ETSU, joining the Bucs in the spring as a grad transfer from Texas Tech. Rhodes notched 1,052 assists, 256 digs, 103 kills, 58 blocks and 41 aces. For her career, she totaled 3,064 assists, 807 digs, 261 kills, 172 blocks and 80 aces.

Lowe transferred to ETSU after her freshman year at Virginia Tech and starred in the Blue & Gold. In her final season, Lowe posted a team-best 315 kills on .226 hitting, 94 digs, 43 blocks, 18 assists and five aces. In total, she finished with 854 kills, 191 digs, 122 blocks, 23 assists and five aces.

Thomas spent all four years of her collegiate career in Johnson City. As a senior, she led the SoCon in blocks with 124, along with 143 kills, 78 digs, 34 aces and ten assists. For her career, she had 418 kills, 307 blocks, 153 digs, 62 aces and 19 assists.

Despite missing time due to injury, Forster still tallied 186 kills, 57 digs, 41 blocks and a pair of assists in 2024. For her career, she totaled 962 kills, 174 blocks, 292 digs, 35 aces and 18 assists, across five years, all in the Blue & Gold.

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