JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 14, 2021) — The ETSU Volleyball team snapped its six-match losing skid on Sunday afternoon with a sweep of the visiting Citadel Bulldogs in Brooks Gym. In the 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-22) victory, Sara Esposito (Venezia, Italy) and Jenna Forster (Maryville, Tenn.) both hit above .400 with 16 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (25-20 ETSU): After alternating the first three points of the match, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to hold an early 5-2 lead. Esposito recorded a kill and a solo block to bring the Bucs within one at 7-6. The Bucs and the Bulldogs alternated points from that moment on until ETSU took an 18-15 lead with Esposito’s fifth kill of the set. With a 22-20 lead, the Bucs won the next three points, capitalizing on Bulldog errors to take the set. Forster led the set with seven kills, while Asia Mattress (Mauldin, S.C.) hit .750 with three kills on four attempts.

Set 2 (25-14 ETSU): The Bucs and the Bulldogs stayed tied throughout the majority of the beginning of the second stanza until the Bucs took a three-point lead at 11-8 with a kill from Sidney Sherrill (Knoxville, Tenn.). After a Citadel timeout down four, the Bucs kept the foot on the gas and went on a 9-3 run to lead 20-13. The Bucs closed out the set allowing one more point to the Bulldogs with kills from Mattress, Sherrill and Forster. ETSU hit .577 in the second with 17 kills and two errors. Forster continued her dominance with six kills on seven swings to host a .857 clip.

Set 3 (25-22 ETSU): The third set was the closest of the match and was the only one that did not feature any lead changes. The Bucs took a lead from the first serve with a kill from Sanne Maring (The Netherlands) and never gave it up. The Bulldogs kept the Bucs honest keeping the set within five. With the largest lead of the frame, up 19-14, The Citadel used three ETSU errors to force Coach Jenkins to call her first timeout of the match. Out of the timeout, the Bulldogs completed the 5-0 run to tie the set at 19, but never took the lead. After a Citadel attack error, the Bucs used a block and two kills from Esposito to hold a four-point 23-19 lead. The Bucs took the match on Esposito’s 16^th kill and a service ace from Sydney Allen (Gaffney, S.C.).

KEY STATS

• ETSU outhit The Citadel .363-.134. The Bucs recorded 43 digs compared to the Citadel’s 29.
• Forster and Esposito both had 16 kills while Forster hit .424 and Esposito hit .423.
• In the back row, starting libero, Sydney Cherney (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded 16 digs. It marks her sixth straight match with double-digit digs.
• Quarterbacking the offense, Emily Arnold (Louisville, Ky.) recorded 41 assists, four digs and a kill.
• Starting middle blockers, Maring and Mattress combined for 10 kills (five each) and a .368 hitting percentage. Mattress also added one of ETSU’s two aces.
• Defensively, Allen and Staley Humphries (Kingsport, Tenn.) tallied four and seven digs, respectively. Both were perfect in serve-receive, while Allen slotted the other Buccaneer ace.
• ETSU limited The Citadel’s Sharlissa de Jesus, the SoCon leader in career kills per set to seven kills and a .182 clip. She led the Bulldogs with eight digs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• ETSU snaps its six-match losing skid and improves to 5-6 in the SoCon while the Bulldogs fall to 3-8 in league play.
• The .363 team attack clip is the best for the Blue and Gold this season and the best since they hit .387 in the SoCon quarterfinals against UNCG.
• Forster notched her fifth match with double-digit kills, while her .424 hitting percentage is a new career high.
• With 16 kills and a .423 clip, Esposito tallied double-digit kills for the fifth time and 15+ in the second match this season. Her attack clip above .400 is also a personal best this season.
• The Blue and Gold recorded their second sweep this season. Their 25-14 set-two win is the largest margin of victory for ETSU in 2021.
• ETSU moved to 25-0 all-time against The Citadel. 

UP NEXT
The Bucs and the Bulldogs wrap up the season series on Monday in Brooks Gym. First serve is set for 5 p.m.