Volleyball fired up over top seed in SoCon

ETSU volleyball finished up their home games for the season on Friday, Nov. 4 against Western Carolina University and Saturday, Nov. 5 against UNC Greensboro.  

The Bucs took the win against the WCU Catamounts, winning 3-1 on Friday night and prepared for UNCG the following day. 

On Saturday, ETSU achieved a win over the Spartans 3-1.  

The first set was taken by UNCG 25-22 and ETSU took the next two, 25-20 and 25-15.  

Set four was a battle both teams fought for, and the lead score went back and forth between ETSU and UNCG. 

“Both of the timeouts we all took deep breaths so that we would all calm down. We were just trying to focus on ourselves and not the other side. We focused on doing our own roles, taking deep breaths and we got through the fourth set,” said freshman Brianna Cantrell (Appleton, Wisconsin). 

The Bucs took the win 27-25 in the fourth set after three match points. The fourth set win resulted in a win overall.  

“UNCG came out pretty good on us and made us really fight for that fourth set. I think we do a really nice job trying to refocus ourselves,” said head coach Benavia Jenkins. 

Sophomore Haley Sanders (Brentwood, Tennessee), a libero, earned her career-high of 26 digs.  

Saturday’s senior night resulted in a win for the Buccaneers and earned them the top seed in the SoCon Championships with a 13-1 conference record. 

“This preseason has prepared us. We played a lot of powerful teams that really forced us to learn who we are as a team and who we are as a program,” said Jenkins. 

Recounting on a memory, Jenkins recalls, “My first year here I remember telling our seniors my goal before they leave is to make sure they hang a banner and get a ring. This is such a great feeling because we actually get to hang one up this year. I’m so proud of them because they grind through injuries and just try to stay healthy. It’s an amazing feeling.” 

The team is headed on the road for the final two games of the regular season, currently with a seven-game winning streak, and a 19-7 overall record.  

On Wednesday, Nov. 9 the Bucs will face Chattanooga, the only team they have lost to in conference play. On Friday, Nov. 11 the team will play the Citadel.