Volleyball Preview: ETSU

Now at the halfway point in their conference schedule, the Bulldogs will take a break from Big South play on Tuesday night as they take on East Tennessee State. UNC Asheville (18-6, 7-1) will try to rebound from its first conference loss of the season, while the Buccaneers (6-14, 5-7 Atlantic Sun) look to shake a four match losing skid.

After struggling to a 1-7 non-conference record to open the season, ETSU jumped out to a 5-3 mark in conference play before embarking on a five game road trip. The Buccaneers have lost each of the first four contests, but will look to reverse that trend at the Justice Center on Tuesday. In its only match to date against a Big South opponent, ETSU was shut out on the road by Liberty on September 4. The Bucs also split their two matches with USC Upstate, a team UNC Asheville blanked in its only other battle with an Atlantic Sun foe this season. The ETSU attack is led by juniors Alysa Long, who ranks sixth in the Atlantic Sun in hitting percentage (.310), and Whitney Cogburn, who leads the team in kills and is second in digs. Senior captain Amanda Youell is fifth in the conference in assists.

The Bulldogs’ impressive unbeaten run in conference play finally came to an end on Saturday afternoon at the hands of Coastal Carolina, a team that is unbeaten at home this season. The match lasted five sets, with four different Asheville players recording double digit kills (Kelsey Benorden, Lauren Ficker, Cindi Miller, and Jenna Dover). Benorden delivered her 10th double-double of the season, while Raquel Miotto posted a match-high 26 digs to move into seventh place on the NCAA all-time list. Despite the loss, UNC Asheville remains in sole possession of first place in the Big South. Liberty fell 3-1 to a rapidly improving High Point team, and is now locked in a three-way tie for second place with Coastal Carolina and Winthrop.
The match will begin at 7:00 Tuesday evening, and can also be viewed online through the Big South Network.

Go Bulldogs!!