The ETSU women’s volleyball team played in their first match together with an exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 23, against Appalachian State University.
Despite their fight, the Bucs lost 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13).
The Bucs took the lead in the beginning of the match with a set score of 25-21. Sophomore Abbie Trantham (Candler, North Carolina) led with a match-high of six kills to improve the Bucs’ score, while senior Kaela Massey (Brentwood, Tennessee) took the lead with three aces.
Freshman Olivia Cunningham (Knoxville, Tennessee) had a match-high with five kills in the second set that would bring her to 10 for the match.
“I was more nervous about the exhibition game, but once we started going I felt really confident in my game and what I was doing,” says Cunningham.
The court saw more of a back-and-forth between the teams as set two began with 10 ties and four lead changes. The Bucs would eventually find the upper-hand and take the lead 25-22.
“When we got down, we stayed positive and fought back,” says Trantham.
After a break, the Mountaineers came back strong and would take the lead in the third set making it 25-27.
The teams would continue to fight over the lead throughout the fourth set with nine ties and four lead changes, but it would be the Mountaineers to take the final lead with 25-22 to win the set.
“It was good to see that our team had good chemistry,” says Trantham. “We could communicate well and fix the small things about ourselves like being in a position or fixing a certain technique.”
The Mountaineers would take an early lead of 11-6 in the fifth set, but the Bucs would come back to make the score 14-13.
After a timeout from the Mountaineers, they would leave the score at 15-13 winning the match.
Overall, Cunningham had 16 kills and Trantham had 14 kills, while Massey would leave with a match-high of four aces, two solo block, a block assist and an ace to her line.
“I’m still nervous for our first game, but I’m still confident in what I do and doing my job,” says Cunningham. “I know what to do, I just need to execute it.”
The Bucs play in Jacksonville, Alabama, on Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m. for their first match in the Jacksonville State Invitational.
