UNCG Volleyball To Play ETSU in First Round of SoCon Tournament
2023 SoCon Volleyball Championship Landing Page
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) volleyball team will participate in the first round of The 2023 Southern Conference (SoCon) Volleyball Tournament as the No. 9 seed. The Spartans will take on No. 8 ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn., on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.
The Spartans and Bucs have had two close games this season with ETSU taking a four-set match on its home court for the team’s first meeting on the 2023 stanza. In addition, ETSU was able to outlast the Spartans in a five-set thriller in Fleming Gymnasium most recently.
The tournament, which features all nine teams in the conference, begins with a first-round contest Nov. 14, when ETSU faces UNCG in Johnson City, Tennessee, at 6 p.m. The remainder of the tournament will be held Nov. 17-19, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Citadel (26-2, 14-2 SoCon), who was predicted to finish sixth in the preseason poll, won the SoCon regular-season title for the first time in school history. As the No. 1 seed, The Citadel will face the winner of No. 8 ETSU (5-22, 5-11) and No. 9 UNCG (1-26, 0-16) on Friday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs went 2-0 against both squads, winning over the Bucs via sweep on Oct. 14 and in four sets on Friday, and defeating the Spartans in four sets on Oct. 5 and in three sets on Nov. 4.
ETSU won both matches against UNCG during the regular season, earning a win in four sets on Sept. 28 at home and winning a five-set thriller on Oct. 28 on the road.
Mercer (16-11, 12-4) was predicted to finish seventh in the preseason poll, but the Bears concluded the regular season as the No. 2 seed. The Bears will face No. 7 Chattanooga (18-13, 6-10) in the third quarterfinal match. Mercer won both matches during the regular season, sweeping the Mocs on Oct. 15 and winning in four sets at Chattanooga on Thursday.
Wofford (20-7, 11-5) was predicted to finish third in the preseason poll and that’s exactly where the Terriers finished the regular season. No. 3 Wofford will take on No. 6 Western Carolina (10-17, 7-9) in the final match of the day on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Wofford won both regular-season contests, earning a straight-set win at Western Carolina on Oct. 12 and a four-set victory on Friday.
Fourth-seeded Samford (14-14, 9-7), the defending conference tournament champions, will clash with Furman (17-10, 8-8), the No. 5 seed, in the first match on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
The semifinal round of the tournament will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18, with matches scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., before the tournament culminates at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, with the championship match.
The tournament champion will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
2023 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Tuesday, Nov. 14
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 ETSU vs. No. 9 UNCG, 6 p.m. ET (at ETSU) (ESPN+)
Friday, Nov. 17
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 4 Samford vs. No. 5 Furman, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
Match 3: No. 1 The Citadel vs. Match 1 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 7 Chattanooga, 5 p.m. (ESPN+)
Match 5: No. 3 Wofford vs. No. 6 Western Carolina, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, Nov. 18
Semifinals
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner, 5 p.m. (ESPN+)
Match 7: Match 4 winner vs. Match 5 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, Nov. 19
Championship
Match 8: Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Courtesy of Emma White
Strategic Communications Coordinator
UNC Greensboro