Tuesday, October 01, 2002

Johnson City, Tenn. (September 10, 2002) - East Tennessee State (4-9) hit just .150 as a team in a 3-1 loss to UNC Asheville (12-4) on Tuesday night in Brooks Gym. The Lady Bucs dropped the first game 30-24, before evening the score in the second game with a 30-24 victory of their own. ETSU hit .297 in game two en route to its only win, but the Bulldogs cruised to 30-27 and 30-17 victories in games three and four, respectively, to seal the match. "We definitely missed some opportunities, and hit very poorly against a team that was not known for their blocking," said Buccaneer head coach Deane Webb. "We just need to learn a lesson in being more competitive as a team." Middle hitter Sara Scandiffio (Purcellville, Va.) did what she could to counter the Lady Buc woes. Scandiffio registered a career-high13 kills on 26 attempts and only two errors (.423) to lead the team in hitting percentage. She also led ETSU in service aces (3) and tallied four block assists. "Sara played very well," Webb commented. "This was one of the better all-around games I have seen her play." Freshman setter Kristi Robinson (Knoxville, Tenn.), who is taking the place of the injured Renee Vesey (Paw Paw, Mich.), dished out 38 assists. Robinson's favorite target was junior Kate Steidle (Waynesboro, Va.), who ended up leading the Bucs with 14 kills. Robinson also came through defensively for ETSU with a team-high 17 digs. Junior Kelly Budnik (New Berlin, Wis.), and freshman Rose Butler (Huntsville, Ala.) each recorded a double-double to lead UNC Asheville on the other side of the net. Budnik's 18 kills was a match high, followed by 11 digs. Butler garnered 12 kills and 17 digs. The Bulldogs got even more offensive production from Frida Sigurdardottir (Kopavogur, Iceland), who had 14 kills and three service aces, while Leslie Whitfield (Hurdle Mills, N.C.) proved why she is truly a defensive specialist, leading the match with 22 digs. East Tennessee State is looking to rebound from two consecutive losses and hope to get back on the winning track with a pair of home games this weekend. The Bucs will be in Brooks Gym versus Southern Conference foe Wofford on Friday night at 7 p.m. Then ETSU will play host to Furman on Saturday at 2 p.m.