Saturday, August 30, 2003

Blacksburg, Va. (August 30, 2003) -- East Tennessee State's overall record fell to 1-2 in the early season after the Buccaneers were defeated by Virginia Tech in their third and final match of the Hokie Classic, 3-0. The ETSU offense continued its struggles as the Hokies downed the Bucs (30-25, 30-15, 30-21) in consecutive games, while Virginia Tech was crowned tournament champions. As a team, the Bucs' attack percentage was a miniscule -.036 after committing 33 attack errors opposed to just 29 kills. "We had our brief moments where everything clicked," said head coach Lindsey Devine. "But overall we just didn't have the consistency it took in order to win today." Meanwhile, junior outside hitter Karen Freeburg (Newcastle, Ind.) was named to the All-Hokie Classic team. "The players look to Karen for her leadership," said Devine. "She's a very versatile player and the entire team and we as coaches have a lot confidence in her." ETSU's next opponent will be Indiana State on Friday, Sept. 5 in Valparaiso, Ind. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., and will kickoff the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic -- a two-day event that will feature the Crusaders as the host team along with Cleveland State.