You missed it. It began the day Fall Break began and ended the day Fall Break ended. In our years here as students at ETSU, we have not seen and most likely will not again see another weekend of Buc athletics like the last one.
We could blame it on the schedulers, but who knew? On Sept. 1, we knew that on the weekend of Oct. 26-28, Adrian Peterson and Georgia Southern were supposed to steamroll the Bucs.
We also knew the volleyball team would be in the throes of its annual October swoon. Better to make sure no one saw these embarassments.
Right?
Heck, the East Tennessean doesn’t even publish the Monday after Fall Break. But last week, you didn’t need us to tell you about 19-16. You might not have heard, however, about 30-18, 22-30, 28-30, 30-21, 15-13.
What was all that about? Well, that was the score of Friday’s volleyball match against arch-rival Furman. In a back-and-forth affair that may qualify as the Bucs’ most thrilling of the year, the result was literally in doubt until the final point. Yet the five-setter was only Act I.
By Saturday afternoon, Brad Yewer had run himself into Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors with a second-place finish in the conference meet. Junior Rosaline Addo recorded her season-best time of 18 minutes, 22 seconds to garner a fourth-place finish and a spot on the all-conference team.
Of course, the crescendo was reached Saturday night at 10:04 p.m., the very minute the football Bucs were able to get past Heisman Trophy candidate/ bouncer Peterson into the Cinderella dance club.
And you thought that run-down night spot at the vacation resort was cloud nine.
Of course, the party wasn’t over until volleyball seniors Carey Cavanaugh and Amber Ciskowski took the Brooks Gym floor for one last dance. With the Bucs up 29-23 in game four with a two-games-to-one advantage, Wofford scored to keep the match going.
Then they scored again to make it 29-25. Maybe this weekend wouldn’t end, I thought to myself while sitting at the press table. Then Cavanaugh set up Ciskowski for the kill. The only thing to make the moment truly perfect would be if “Dandy” Don Meredith were there to intone with: “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.”
It was an unforgettable weekend, if only you were there to see it.
The cross country events, held in South Carolina, notwithstanding, little more than 6,000 people were at the football game and both volleyball contests combined.
No doubt, of course, thousands more will claim to have attended at least one of those events, and a few individuals will have the chutzpah to boast they were at all three.
But don’t believe a certain sports writer if he tries to sell you on the trifecta.
Yes, I was busy Friday night. But, hey, I was there for two out of three.
I’m sorry, but I’ve already given you a Don Meredith reference. I can’t stomach any Meat Loaf.
For ETSU athletics the last weekend in October, however, heaven could wait. From 7 p.m. Friday night until 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, it was 45 hours of ecstasy.

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