JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 26, 2024) – East Tennessee State University volleyball defeated UNC Greensboro 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23) in its home opener on Thursday.

Graduate right side Jenna Forster led the Bucs with 12 kills on .292 hitting. Junior outside hitter Brianna Cantrell posted a double-double with 12 kills and ten digs, her third of the season. Graduate setter Reese Rhodes tallied 40 assists, senior middle blocker Abbey Thomas had seven blocks (one solo) and sophomore libero Melanie Morris notched 16 digs.

The first set was back-and-forth throughout, with 12 ties and five lead changes. Forster and Cantrell had four kills each, along with four digs from Morris. Trailing 23-22, Forster recorded one of her kills, followed by an ace from sophomore setter Enisilina Savelio. After UNCG tied the match, Cantrell closed the first set with a kill and an ace to give the Bucs a 26-24 set victory.

The Spartans bounced back in the second set with a 25-20 victory. Allie Sweet, who finished with 19 kills on 69 attempts, recorded five in the set. UNCG trailed by four early in the set, but mounted several rallies at the service line with Mya Wood and Chloe Nussbaum, among others to level the match at one set apiece.

ETSU regained momentum in the third set, much in the same fashion as UNCG had the set before. The Bucs trailed 11-7, but Thomas combined with Rhodes and Forster once each to block Sweet twice, followed by several errors from UNCG that ultimately led to a tie set at 18. Cantrell had a pair of kills to give the Bucs a 20-18 lead. ETSU had a 75% side out percentage in the set, helped by four of Thomas' blocks, including a solo block and a kill toward the end, and the Blue & Gold took the set 25-20.  

The final set was filled with suspense. Cantrell went on a 6-0 run from the service line to give the Bucs a 14-10 lead, but the Spartans battled back to tie the set at 18 and take a lead at 22-21. A well-placed ETSU timeout led to a kill from Forster, and the Bucs won the set and match 25-23 a few points later off a kill from senior outside hitter Amanda Lowe.

With the win, Devine improves to 18-4 in her career at ETSU against the Spartans, including a 7-1 mark at Brooks Gymnasium.

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.
 
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.