JOHNSON CITY, TENN. (Nov. 2, 2019) — After losing the first set 31-29, ETSU’s volleyball team bounced back to clinch a thrilling 3-2 (29-31, 25-15, 25-20, 15-25, 15-7) win over the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday evening to close out ETSU’s homecoming weekend. Lauren Hatch (Homewood, Ill.) tallied 29 kills to tie the program record for kills in a match.

With the victory, ETSU improves to 20-4 (11-1 SoCon) as the Mocs fall to 5-19 (0-11 SoCon).

Set 1 (31-29 UTC): The first set was one of the most competitive of the season for both squads. The frame featured 19 ties and 10 lead changes. The largest lead of the set for either team was four when UTC held a 20-16 lead advantage. ETSU came back and tied the match at 24 before the two teams fought to become the first to score two in a row.  It was back and forth for the next 10 points, but two errors cost the Bucs late to drop the first frame 31-29.

Set 2 (25-15 ETSU): The Bucs came out strong in the second frame to hold an early 15-7 advantage. The Blue and Gold ultimately led by 10, up 22-12. ETSU closed out the set with a kill from Kaela Massey (Brentwood, Tenn.) to take the set 25-15 and even the match. The squad limited UTC to a .000 hitting percentage with three blocks from the Blue and Gold. The Bucs had two aces and were perfect with no reception errors on the back end to limit the Mocs to no aces in the set.

Set 3 (25-20 ETSU): The third set was very similar to the first with two teams staying close throughout. No team held a lead of more than two until the Blue and Gold held a 22-19 lead towards the end of the frame. The Bucs ended the set on a 7-2 run to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. In the third, Hatch logged seven kills on 13 swings with no errors.

Set 4 (25-15 UTC): The Mocs took the fourth set with the same score as they lost the second frame. The set was close until UTC took a 14-9 lead and never gave it up. The Mocs ended the set on a 7-2 run to take the frame with a 10-point advantage and force a fifth set. UTC outhit the Bucs .524 to .069.

Set 5 (15-7 ETSU): The Bucs took charge in the fifth starting off the set tallying seven straight points with Sydney Cherney (Knoxville, Tenn.) behind the service line. The Blue and Gold hit .421 in the fifth to close out the match with 11 kills on 19 swings. ETSU won the match with a block from Massey and Abbie Trantham (Candler, N.C.). Hatch logged seven kills out of the teams’ 11 in the fifth set to tie the program record with 29.

Key stats:

• Hatch’s record-setting night consisted of a .411 hitting percentage with 29 kills on 56 swings. The freshman outside hitter added eight digs and four blocks (two solo) to her line.
• Emily Arnold (Louisville, Ky.) quarterbacked the Bucs’ offense with 48 assists, which led the match and 11 digs defensively. The setter slotted two aces, four kills and two blocks to tally seven points on the night.
• Sara Esposito (Venezia, Italy) and Massey combined for 21 kills and 16 digs. Both middle blockers had a solo block and combined for seven total rejections.
• Marija Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia) led the match with 19 digs in the back row. The starting libero added eight helpers offensively.
• Lundyn Coffman (Nolensville, Tenn.) and Abbie Trantham combined for nine kills and five blocks. Coffman ended the night with a match-high .417 attack clip.
• The Blue and Gold out-blocked the Mocs 11-9 and had five aces compared to UTC’s three.

Inside the numbers:

• Hatch’s 29 kills tied three former Bucs who hold the record: Jill West (1990), Natalie Barrett (1999) and Jennifer Sartor (2006). She is the third to complete the mark in five sets.
• 29 kills are the most by a SoCon player since Catie Cronister logged 31 on Nov. 4, 2017 against UNCG. The last time a Buc had 25 or more was on Oct. 7, 2016 when Brianna Allmon had 28 at Western Carolina.
• The Blue and Gold are 5-3 in five-set matches this season, last year the team played just six.
• The Bucs are now 11-0 when hitting above .200 as a team.
• The match showcased 36 ties and 16 lead changes.

With the win, ETSU is tied with Samford atop the SoCon standings with an 11-1 record in the conference. Both teams have four matches remaining this season including a battle against each other in the last conference match of the season on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. in Brooks Gym.

The Bucs are back in action next Friday as they travel to The Citadel. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

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