On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the ETSU women’s volleyball team played against the University of South Carolina, an SEC opponent. These two teams had played three times before on South Carolina’s home court, but all ended with a Buccaneer loss. With one team wanting to continue their streak and the other itching for a victory, the match was heated from the start.
The Gamecocks took an early lead of 13-7, but the Buccaneers quickly picked up the pace and tied the score 19-19. For the rest of the first set, the teams were battling back and forth, staying within a few points of each other. The first set ended in a final score of 27-25, and a point for South Carolina. The second set started similarly to the first, with South Carolina taking a lead of 5-1. ETSU was able to push back and tie with the Gamecocks earlier than the previous set, with a score of 7-7. The two teams once again stayed close in score until the Buccaneers pushed past South Carolina, scoring multiple times in a row and ending the second set with a score of 25-20.
The third set started slower than the previous two, with both teams trading points back and forth. Neither team was able to take the lead until the very end, where ETSU was able to score two points in a row, winning the third set with a final score 26-24. With the two teams slowing down with exhaustion, the Gamecocks were able to take the fourth set with a final score of 25-23.
With the fifth and final set, both teams knew that they only needed to score a few points to win the match. South Carolina took the lead early on, but ETSU was able to close in and tie the score. With the final two kills being scored by Sophia Davis and Bailey Gohlke, the Buccaneers were able to win the final set with a score of 27-25, and won the whole match with a score of 3-2.
The ETSU women’s volleyball team will be back on Thursday, September 24, against Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Make sure to cheer on the Buccaneers as they begin their SoCon play leading up to the SoCon Championship in November.
For more information on the ETSU women’s volleyball team, you can visit their website at ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.
