BOONE, N.C. (Saturday, Sept. 7) – East Tennessee State University (4-2) swept Kennesaw State (2-4) on Saturday to wrap up the Mountaineer Classic.

The Bucs were led by a trio of fantastic hitting performances from outside hitter Amanda Lowe, junior outside hitter Brianna Cantrell, and junior middle blocker Whitley Rammel. Rammel went nine for eleven attacking, Cantrell notched 11 kills, and Lowe had one of the best hitting days of her career. The senior totaled 13 kills, including the final two of the match. Her 11th kill marked the 600th of her career, and she set a career high in hitting percentage at .706, making her the first Buc to hit over .700 (min. 12 kills) since AJ Lux hit .700 vs. The Citadel in 2016. Graduate setter Reese Rhodes also tallied 32 assists and four aces on Saturday,

Lowe and Rammel were both named to the all-tournament team following their weekend performances.

ETSU took the first set behind a strong all-around effort, highlighted by three consecutive aces from Rhodes. The Blue & Gold started off a stellar day on side out opportunities early, converting 75% of them in the set. Cantrell added five of her kills on the day in the set to give the Bucs a 25-16 victory.

The Bucs continued their strong day in the second set, jumping out to an early lead. A Kennesaw State run brought the Owls within one at 17-16, but senior middle blocker Abbey Thomas went on a run of her own from the service line, helping to propel ETSU to the 25-18 set win.

Lowe turned up the heat in the final set, recording eight of her kills on nine attempts, including a trio for three of the last four points. As a team, the Bucs cemented their phenomenal defensive day, tallying 78% on side out opportunities and notching 14 digs with just one reception error, giving ETSU the 25-14 set and match win. Throughout the match, the Bucs had only four attacking and reception errors each.

Next, ETSU travels to the Liberty Tournament and will begin the three-game slate at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 vs. Virginia. For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, follow @ETSUVolleyball on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.