The ETSU Volleyball team entered the SoCon tournament as the number one seed and proved why they were named as such across all tournament play. ETSU came out swinging, taking the quarterfinal of the tournament against Western Carolina in a clean 3-0 sweep. They captured the semifinal in the same manner: a 3-1 match where they controlled the pace from the beginning. However, ETSU fell short in the championship round of the tournament during a heated five round match against the Wofford Terriers.
The championship game was one of the most heated and one of the closest title matches in recent years. After going 2-1 in sets, the Bucs couldn’t close out the match, ultimately falling in five. They did out-perform Wofford in several major categories such as kills, assists, aces and digs. Wofford’s edge came at the net with a 14-10 blocking advantage, which proved to be decisive in the final moments of the fifth set.
ETSU finished as regular-season champions and tournament runner up, ending their year 23-7 overall. This puts them in a prime position to work for the SoCon title next season. With many of their top contributors in the championship match being underclassmen or players left with eligibility, their continuity gives them an edge many other teams may not have. Their two-setter system will be even better next year, with Kreutzmann and Gohlke having clicked and found their rhythm late in the season. They will have a foundation to build off of and improve even more going into next season.
