Bucs sweep season series with Wofford, improve to 9-1 in SoCon

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Oct. 22, 2022) – It took some dramatics early and late, but ETSU volleyball outlasted Wofford in a pair of extended sets to win 3-1 inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg on Saturday.

The Bucs improved to 15-7 overall and 9-1 in Southern Conference matches to remain atop the league standings. ETSU has won three straight to replace its previous six match streak to open SoCon play. The Terriers dipped to 12-10 overall and 4-6 in the SoCon, dropping four matches in a row.

ETSU had its longest set of the season in the opening frame, winning it 30-28 by surviving five match points, then winning two in a row while tied at 28-28. The Bucs have had at least one extended set in three of the last four matches.

The second and third sets were a bit more decisive, as Wofford evened the match and swung momentum back in its favor with a 25-14 win in set two. The Bucs responded in a big way to win the third stanza, taking the first two points and leading the whole way to win 25-17.

The fourth set brough back the dramatics, as Wofford led nearly the whole way. The Bucs inched closer as the set grew longer and eventually retied the set at 23-23. The team’s traded the next six points with ETSU forcing match point twice, then closing it out at 27-25 with an ace by Brianna Cantrell (Appleton, Wis.). 

Wofford out-hit the Bucs 58-55 in kills and .247 to .208 in hitting percentage, but the Bucs had a sizable advantage in digs at 69-57. Another key difference came on initial touches, as Wofford had 11 service errors and fell victim to seven aces by the Bucs.

Cantrell led the charge with a big match, spiking down 13 kills with 17 digs for her third straight double-double and fourth total. Cantrell also had three service aces to lead the squad. Senior Olivia Cunningham (Knoxville, Tenn.) chipped in 10 kills for her third double-digit total of the season.

Sophomore Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) tallied 36 of the team’s 50 assists, while libero Haley Sanders (Brentwood, Tenn.) racked up 21 digs to go with Cantrell’s 17.

At the net front, the efforts of freshmen Whitley Rammel (Ft. Recovery, Ohio) and Kimani Johnson (Southfield, Mich.), as well as sophomore Abbey Thomas (Goldsboro, N.C.) led the efforts. All three had three assisted blocks, while Rammel added a solo. Thomas had two of the seven service aces for ETSU.

The Bucs begin a four-match home stand next weekend, starting on Friday, Oct. 28 against Mercer at 7 p.m. inside Brooks Gym.

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