JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State University's volleyball team sets out for the DEACTOWN Invitational hosted by Wake Forest, Sept. 11-13, at Reynolds Gym in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

East Tennessee State (0-5) enters the weekend after losing to both Virginia Commonwealth and William & Mary. Karis Chatfield was named to the VCU All-Tournament team after having 27 kills in two matches, averaging 3.38 per set, with a high of 17 at VCU, Sept. 4. She also hit .359 in the match against the Rams with 17 kills on 39 attempts with just 3 errors, and hit .308 on the weekend. The freshman accounted for 29.5 points in two matches and had two aces.

The Buccaneers will face Georgia Southern (3-3) at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The Bucs are 17-12 all-time against the Eagles.

Next in the tournament, the Bucs face East Carolina (4-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday. ETSU leads the all-time series against the Pirates 8-1. 

ETSU faces tournament host Wake Forest to conclude the tournament at 2 p.m. on Sunday. This marks the fifth all-time meeting of the two programs. 

The Buccaneers are ranked third in the Southern Conference with 10.95 assists per set. Individually, Gianna Blair is third in the SoCon with 1.0 blocks per set. Makayla Bays is fourth with 10 aces and .45 aces per set.

For news and updates ahead of the Buccaneers' 2026 season, follow the volleyball team on X and Instagram (@etsuvolleyball) or check back in on etsubucs.com.

Match Points

• Lindsey Devine enters her 19th season at the helm of ETSU volleyball; her third consecutive season. 
• Devine earned her fourth regular-season title last season; the eighth in program history. 
• The 2026 squad consists of 11 returners, five freshmen, and one transfer. 
• The reigning SoCon Player of the Year, Makayla Bays, was selected as a Preseason All-Conference selection after her standout sophomore campaign. 
• At the end of the 2025 season, Makayla Bays ranked first in the SoCon with 45 service aces and second with .40 aces per set, 3.92 kills per set, 506.5 points, 4.48 points per set, and 443 total kills. 
• Devine's 2026 coaching staff consists of Aaron Giorgi, who is in his third season with the program, and former ETSU Buc Isabella Iosua, who joins the staff this season. 
• At the end of the 2025 season, the Bucs were ranked first in the conference in nine categories: aces per set (1.66), assists per set (12.39), hitting percentage (.238), kills per set (13.23), match W-L percentage (.767), opponent hitting percentage (.177), team assists (1,400), team kills (1,495), and team service aces (188).

Scouting report

• The Bucs are 18-12 all-time against Georgia Southern. The last meeting of the two teams was a 3-2 Bucs' win, Sept. 21, 2019, in Knoxville.
• Reagan Barth was selected as the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 43 kills over the weekend, posting 3.91 kills per set and producing a hitting percentage of .327.
• Angeles Alderete and Taryn Gilreath were named American Conference Pre-Season All-Conference selections. 
• The Bucs are 8-1 all-time against East Carolina, with the last matchup being a 3-2 Bucs' win, Sept. 3, 2022, in Durham, N.C.
• The Bucs are 0-4 all-time against Wake Forest, with the last matchup being a 3-1 Deacons' win, Aug.31, 2023, in Winston-Salem, N.C.