ETSU volleyball traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete in the Tennessee Classic this past Friday and Saturday.
The game against UT on Friday night was a disappointing one for the Bucs, who lost 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-13), but they proved their strength by coming out on top the next day. The Bucs defeated North Dakota State 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21) and Georgia Southern 3-2 (25-23, 25-14, 25-16, 25-23, 15-13).
“We’re a really gritty team,” said coach Benavia Jenkins. “We compete well, and we come back when we’re down matches.”
The match against the Vols was a tough one for the women, with the first set being among the closest that the Bucs have played this season. Though the team fought hard, the Vols were relentless and played their way to victory through all three sets.
Senior Kaela Massey (Brentwood, Tennessee), who led the match alongside freshman Olivia Cunningham (Knoxville, Tennessee), gave the Bucs a combination of 66 kills between between the two.
“We’re all just super excited to be in Thompson Bowling,” said Massey. “I think that’s such a cool atmosphere to be able to play in, but especially since about half of our team is from Knoxville.”
The next match was against the NDSU Bisons, which began with the Bisons in the lead. The Bucs quickly gained control of the game and led a 3-1 win.
Massey, Cunningham and sophomore Sara Esposito (Pianiga, Venezia, Italy) recorded double-digit kills.
During the GSU match, the Bucs took the first set by a kill from Massey, and soon the Bucs having the advantage in the sets to follow. Cunningham had her career-best of 23 kills leading the Blue and Gold against GSU.
“We’re a team that doesn’t give up,” said Jenkins. “When we have a loss we’re just not gonna give up. That’s something that I think is really special about this young group that we bring to each match.”
The next game is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at Furman in Greenville, South Carolina.
