East Carolina University
Rice
Pirates End Skid, Knock Off Rice 3-2
October 28, 2007 | Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2007
HOUSTON, Texas - The East Carolina volleyball team snapped a six-game losing streak with a crucial 3-2 win over Rice inside Fox Gymnasium Sunday afternoon. The Pirates raise their record to 13-14 overall and 4-8 in conference play while the Owls fall to 10-14 on the season and 5-7 in C-USA. The match marks East Carolina's third-straight 3-2 win over Rice in the series.
The Owls jumped on top early, taking leads of 10-5 and 18-11 before holding off a late Pirate rally to take a 30-23 victory in the first frame.
Game two was much of the same as Rice raced out to a 14-8 lead. However, ECU completed the comeback this time, pulling within 23-22 and fighting off game point before capturing the frame 32-30.
The teams traded points much of the third game until the Pirates were able to establish a 23-18 advantage. The Owls did pull the score to 28-26 but East Carolina scored two of the last three points to win the stanza 30-27.
Rice blitzed the Pirates early in game four in taking a 9-3 lead, but ECU responded to cut the deficit to 12-11. Trailing by just two at 19-17, the Pirates could not hang with the Owls as the home team used an 11-4 run to take the frame 30-21 and force a deciding fifth game.
Things looked bleak for East Carolina as Rice opened the game with an 8-3 run. However, the Pirates were able to utilize a 6-0 stretch to go back on top 9-8. The frame was tied at 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 before two freshmen, Katie Koop and Kylie Gilmore, contributed a kill and an ace respectively to give ECU the game 15-13 and a much needed conference win.
Kelley Wernert turned in her 25th-straight match with double-digit kills and fifth out of her last seven with 21 kills or more as she notched 22 to lead the offense. Peyton Thompson also reached double figures with 13. Hannah Fenker recorded her fourth-consecutive double-digit dig effort as she led five Pirates in double-figures with 18. Katie Koop moved into ninth-place on the ECU career chart as she tallied 52 assists to give her 1,095 on the season. The freshman has 11 matches with 51 or more assists. Wernert and Koop recorded their 13th and ninth double-doubles of the season.
The Owls tallied more kills (80-63), compiled a better hitting percentage (.233-.164) and dug more balls (102-83) but committed more errors (32-39) and were outdone at the net 15-14 in a losing effort. Meredith Schaum handed out 68 assists while Jessica Holderness was the offensive and defensive force for Rice, slapping 18 kills while adding 22 digs.
The Pirates return to Greenville for their last home matches of the season as lone senior Kelley Wernert will be honored. East Carolina looks to improve its standing for the C-USA tournament as it battles UCF on Friday at 7 p.m. and Southern Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Minges Coliseum.
