Johnson City, Tenn.-- Junior setter Carey Cavanaugh tallied 46 assists and 20 digs, but it was not enough to pull the Bucs past Appalachian State Tuesday night as the Mountaineers won a hard-fought 3-2 match.

After Appalachian State won the first game 15-10, ETSU won the following two, 15-10 and 15-9. In the fourth game, the Mountaineers took an early lead and never looked back, winning it 15-4. In the fifth and deciding game, the Bucs took an early 7-3 lead, but Appalachian State steadily fought back until the score was tied at 14. After the tie, points went back and forth until the Mountaineers won consecutive points to win the game 19-17, and claim the match.

The Buccaneers (10-6, 7-3) also received a strong game from senior middle hitter Jena Policastro, who registered 12 kills and added 14 digs. Freshman outside hitter Rachel Shifflet had a big game for the Bucs with 14 kills and 16 digs.

Appalachian State (8-12, 5-5) was led by senior setter Tiffany White who tallied 36 assists and 14 kills against just two hitting errors. Junior outside hitter Karen Nielson (12), freshman middle blocker Katherine Dean (11) and junior outside hitter Claire Reynolds (11) also had double-digit kills for the Mountaineers.

The Buccaneers return to the hardwood Friday night at 7 p.m. as they travel to Western Carolina to begin an important Southern Conference road trip that will also take them to conference foe Chattanooga at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.