JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (September 9, 2006) - The Lady Bucs dropped their opening game against Evansville Saturday, 30-32, 30-24, 23-30, 30-25, 15-10, and the disappointment continued into the evening, as they fell in three highly competitive games to tournament champion Winthrop, 20-28, 30-25, 30-28.

"We didn't play poorly today," said head coach Lindsey Devine.  "We just failed to push and execute at critical moments."

The Lady Bucs (6-4) held their own against the four-time defending Big South Conference champions in game one, building a four-point lead at 19-15, but a 14-5 run gave the Eagles (8-2) five game points at 29-24.  ETSU erased four of the game points aided by solid defense, as Sarah Buhr (Stockton, Calif.), Nani Emerson (Tracy, Calif.) and Jennifer Sartor (Toronto, Ontario) each contributed blocks to pull the Lady Bucs within one, but Shannon Sitzmann stamped out the rally with her fifth kill of the game.

The teams continued the back-and-forth in game two, as the lead changed hands eight times and the contest was tied another 17.  Senior Crystal Palmer (Chico, Calif.) tied the game at 24 with her fourth kill of the frame, but Winthrop reeled off six of the next seven points, securing the five point win.

The Lady Bucs fought back once again in game three, trailing by as many as seven points at 24-17 before fighting back to even the match at 28 on one of junior Callie Kiselich's match-high 17 kills.  Tournament MVP Taryn Surbaugh's kill brought the Eagles to match point, and Sitzmann struck again on the next play, clinching the championship for Winthrop.

Kiselich's 17-kill effort propelled her to the all-tournament team, and Emerson dished out a match-high 43 kills.

ETSU held a 2-1 match lead before the Purple Aces rallied, breaking open a one point game in the fourth stanza, and scoring nine of the game's final 13 points to level the match at two games apiece.

The Lady Bucs jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the final game, but Evansville assumed control with a 6-0 run, cruising to the five-point victory.

Sartor led the way for the Lady Bucs with 23 kills in the match, racking up 35 on the day, while Emerson's 64 kills boosted her over the century mark on the day, finishing with 107.

The Lady Bucs next hit the road, taking on Lees-McRae Wednesday, September 13 in Banner Elk, N.C.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

MVP Taryn Surbaugh - Winthrop

Shannon Sitzmann - Winthrop

Pohai Nu'uhiwa - Winthrop

Julie Walroth - Evansville

Caitlin Schaffstall - Evansville

Callie Kiselich - ETSU