The ETSU women’s volleyball team competed in a tournament this past weekend from Sept. 13 through Sept. 14 at the University of Alabama.
The team first played Alcorn State and won 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) on Friday, and on Saturday they played against Georgia State winning 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12). The Bucs played the University of Alabama at Birmingham and lost 2-3 (22-25, 25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 15-13).
“I was mostly focusing on what we’ve been working on in practice and what coach has been telling me to do – being able to transition and reading hands,” said freshman Lundyn Coffman (Nolensville, Tennessee).
The Bucs started the tournament with a 3-0 sweep against Alcorn State. The first set was a back-and-forth between the teams, but the Bucs went on a 6-0 run with the help from senior Kaela Massey (Brentwood, Tennessee). From there the Bucs continued to dominate the game, giving them a win.
“Our serving game needs to most definitely get a lot better, being a lot more aggressive at the service line and challenge the passers,” said head coach Benavia Jenkins.
The Georgia State game was more of a battle for the Bucs than their first match. The match went on for five sets. Georgia State took the first and fourth sets, while the Bucs went on to take sets two, three and five.
Both teams were determined to get the advantage. It was a 5-5 set before the Bucs went on a 5-0 run thanks to junior Marija Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia). The Bucs continued the lead and got themselves their second win of the tournament.
“We have to continue to be aggressive offensively,” said Jenkins. “In defense we have to continue to be a lot more disciplined.”
The Bucs’ third and final match of the tournament against UAB was another five set match. The Bucs took the first set but were unsuccessful for the next two sets.
In the fifth set, the Bucs were down 14-9, but with the help of freshman Lauren Hatch (Homewood, Ill.) the blue and gold found themselves down by one. The Blazers won the next point, taking the win with 15-13.
The Bucs volleyball team plays this weekend in the Tennessee Classic.
