JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State volleyball head coach Lindsey Devine announced the 2026 campaign on Thursday afternoon.   

In the regular season, ETSU is set to face 20 opponents across nine conferences (AAC, ACC, A-10, CAA, C-USA, MAC, SEC, Sun Belt, SoCon) with 16 contests on the road and 13 at home in Brooks Gym.  
 
EXHIBITIONS
     8/19 vs. App State at 6 p.m. 
     8/21 at Gardner-Webb at 6 p.m.
BUCCANEER CLASSIC
     8/28 vs. Akron at 1 p.m.
     8/28 vs. Auburn at 1 p.m.
     8/29 vs. Liberty at 4 p.m. 
VCU TOURNAMENT
     9/4 at VCU at 6 p.m.
     9/5 vs. William & Mary at 2 p.m.
WAKE FOREST TOURNAMENT
     9/11 vs. Georgia Southern at 3:30 p.m.
     9/12 vs. East Carolina at 2 p.m.
     9/13 at Wake Forest at 5 p.m.
SINGLE GAME
     9/15 vs. South Carolina at 6 p.m.
WKU TOURNAMENT
     9/18 vs. Oklahoma at 4 p.m. ET
     9/19 at Western Kentucky at 1 p.m. ET
SOCON SCHEDULE
     9/25 at Samford at 8:30 p.m. ET
     9/26 at Samford at 8:30 p.m. ET
     10/2 vs. Mercer at 6 p.m.
     10/3 vs. Mercer at 11 a.m.
     10/6 vs. UNCG at 6 p.m.
     10/9 at Chattanooga at 6 p.m.
     10/10 at Chattanooga at 12 p.m.
     10/16 vs. Wofford at 6 p.m.
     10/17 vs. Wofford at 2 p.m.
     10/23 vs. Furman at 6 p.m.
     10/24 vs. Furman at 2 p.m.
     10/27 at UNCG at 6 p.m.
     10/30 at Tennessee Tech at 7 p.m. ET
     10/31 at Tennessee Tech at 3 p.m. ET
     11/5 vs. The Citadel at 6 p.m.
     11/6 vs. The Citadel at 11 a.m. 
     11/13 at Western Carolina at 6 p.m.
     11/14 at Western Carolina at 4 p.m.
SOCON TOURNAMENT
     11/19-11/22 at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
 

• ETSU volleyball returns 11 from the 2025 SoCon Regular Season Championship team after the three seniors - Rammel, Cantrell and Iosua - graduated in the spring.  The Bucs add Virginia Tech transfer Elizabeth Aylward to the roster alongside the five incoming freshmen - Darby Felts, Phoenix Fogel, Ryan Jomo, Kennedy Boatman and Karis Chatfield.  
• AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Makayla Bays returns to the 2026 roster after a breakout sophomore season.  Bays was tabbed the 2025 SoCon Player of the Year after ranking second in the SoCon in kills (443 at 3.92 per set), aces (45 at .40 per set) and points (506.5 at 4.48 per set) and leading the team in kills and points throughout the 2025 schedule.
• NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American Athlete of the Year Alex Kreutzmann returns to the Buccaneers for her senior season after leading the 2025 offense to a hitting percentage of .300 or higher in six matches, reaching .400 twice and pacing the offense to average 13.23 kills per set and 12.39 assists per set.
• Both SoCon All-Freshman Team selections, Bailey Gohlke and Sophie Davis, return for the 2026 campaign.  Gohlke, the setter, tallied double-digit assists in 29 of 30 matches, reaching 30+ assists three times in a 6-2 offense and helped the offense average 13.23 kills per set and 12.39 assists per set.  Davis, the outside hitter, hit an impressive .857 vs. Samford (6-0-7) and reached a .350 clip or higher in seven contests.  
• ETSU adds Virginia Tech transfer Elizabeth Aylward to the 2026 roster.  At VT, Aylward accumulated 119 kills, 192 digs, 20 aces, 25 total blocks and 20 assists through her three-year career as a Hokie. She owns career-highs of 15 kills, three aces, 14 digs and five total blocks and was a member of the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team. The outside hitter saw action in 47 matches in the maroon and orange. 
• The 2026 roster is comprised of five freshmen, seven sophomores, two juniors and four seniors for 18 total players.
• Devine returns assistant coach Aaron Giorgi for his third season on the Buccaneer volleyball staff.    

• Makayla Bays, the SoCon Player of the Year, earned AVCA All-American Honorable Mention honors alongside her AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection.  Bays was the first Buccaneer to secure All-American honors since 2013.  
• Head coach Lindsey Devine was selected as the SoCon Coach of the Year for the fifth time as the leader of the Bucs following a record-setting and renowned season for the program.  
• Alongside Bays' and Devine's major awards, five individuals collected regular season honors.  Bays and Whitley Rammel were tabbed to the All-SoCon First Team, Brianna Cantrell was selected to the All-SoCon Second Team and Bailey Gohlke and Sophie Davis earned slots on the SoCon All-Freshman Team.  
• ETSU set multiple program records including the longest winning streak in program history (16 matches), the best start to conference play in program history (13-0) and the longest conference win streak in program history (13 matches). Rammel set the lone individual program record with a .354 hitting percentage for the single-season record. 
• The seven losses was the lowest number of losses in a season since 2019 and just the sixth season all-time with seven or less losses.
• ETSU's 23 wins marked the 20th 20-win season in program history and the seventh under Lindsey Devine.  
• The Bucs ranked 29th in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage, holding foes to just a 0.177 team clip.  
• After winning the 2025 SoCon Regular Season title, the Bucs advanced to the SoCon Championship title game but fell in a five-set thriller to Wofford to end the season.