ETSU’s offense manages just 30 kills

ROCK HILL, S.C. (Sept. 10, 2021) – ETSU didn’t start the weekend on the note they were hoping, falling in straight sets (20-25, 22-25, 18-25) to Winthrop and their spacious defense that recorded 65 digs and six blocks. Josannah Vazquez (Mansfield, Texas) and Ally Johnson (Rogers, Minn.) lead the team in kills with seven, while Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) recorded her third double-double of the season (13 assists, 12 digs). The Bucs were outhit .263 to .137.

Matchup: ETSU (2-5) vs. Winthrop (4-3)

Set 1 (Winthrop, 25-20): Despite Winthrop getting the early lead, the two teams traded points during the middle of the set, but the Eagles rallied late with multiple 3-0 runs to take the first set. Winthrop recorded 19 kills compared to ETSU’s nine. Vazquez paced the Bucs at the end of this set with three kills, while Johnson and Lundyn Coffman (Nolensville, Tenn.) also contributed multiple kills. Winthrop hit .385 in the first set, their highest total in the match.

Set 2 (Winthrop, 25-22): ETSU started hot and fast, going on a 7-0 run to take a 9-1 lead before Winthrop would come back. Jenna Forster (Maryville, Tenn.) tallied three kills in that opening run, and the Bucs got some help with attack errors from Winthrop. The turning point of this set was a kill from Winthrop’s Morgan Bossler to tie the set at 12. The momentum shifted the Eagles’ way and they carried that momentum to the crucial 2-0 lead. It was a closer set statistically, with Winthrop recording 14 kills against ETSU’s 12. Forster, Johnson, Vazquez, and Sara Esposito (Pianiga, Venezia, Italy) each recorded multiple kills. Coffman and Vazquez combined for ETSU’s first block of the match.

Set 3 (Winthrop, 25-18): The Bucs took another lead early in the set, but Winthrop quickly responded and held to their lead to take the match. ETSU would record nine kills in a set for the second time tonight, hitting less than .100 in the last set as well. Winthrop spread the ball, with five players recording multiple kills to aid the Eagles’ .214 hitting percentage this set. Esposito and Coffman combined for the team’s second block of the afternoon.  

Outside the Box Score:

• Johnson got her first start of the season after appearing in each match last weekend in Boone.
• Taylor Roberts (Sneads, Fla.) continued to tally double-digit digs, getting her 10^th of the night in the late rallies of the third set.
• ETSU was last swept by Winthrop in 2006, the same season that Lindsey Devine got her first 20-win season.
• This was the third-straight match that ETSU has given up 40+ kills. Kansas City posted 44 and App State recorded 46.
• This was the fourth time the Bucs have been swept this season (vs. Texas Tech, at Tennessee, and vs. Kansas City). The Bucs are 2-1 in their matches after getting swept.

Up Next:

The Bucs and Eagles are set for a second match this weekend tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s volleyball page.