Volleyball Looks To Rebound At Memphis
October 09, 2009 | Volleyball
Oct. 9, 2009
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
ECU Volleyball Gameday Central
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The East Carolina volleyball team continues Conference USA play tonight, traveling to Memphis for a contest against the Tigers. First serve is set for 8 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The match marks the third of a four-game road swing for the Pirates, as they close the stretch Sunday at UAB.
Looking Back: The Pirates struggled at SMU and Tulsa last weekend, dropping two three-set decisions to the Mustangs and Golden Hurricane. ECU hit just .050 during the weekend but was able to out-block SMU and Tulsa by a combined 23-14 margin. Setter Hannah Fenker picked up her fifth double-double of the season against the Mustangs, tallying 26 assists to go along with 14 digs, just one off her season high. Redshirt freshman Kelly Derby showed well at the net at Tulsa, as she picked up a career-best eight blocks.
About the Competition: Memphis enters the weekend with a 3-16 overall record and seeks its first league win, having dropped its first five in C-USA play. The Tigers are led offensively by Altrese Hawkins, who has 186 kills to her credit, and in the back row by Becky Shaffer, who has recorded a team-best 290 digs (4.39 per set).
The Series: Memphis: Memphis enjoys a 10-3 advantage in the series between the schools. The Tigers captured a pair of matches against ECU last season, winning 3-1 in Greenville and 3-0 at home. The Pirates have not recorded a triumph against Memphis since the 2006 season, when they took two 3-1 decisions.
Arriving At The Top
Despite dropping both matches last weekend, some Pirates did enough to move up in the ECU career top 10 ledgers. Fenker turned in 41 assists, good enough to pass teammate Katie Koop for eighth on the assists chart as she now owns 1,679. Fenker and classmate Stephanie Turner also find themselves ranked ninth and 10th on the assists list with 919 and 908, respectively. Offensively, Turner resides in 10th for kills, putting down a total of 879.
.200 Or Better
If the Pirates have compiled a .200-plus hitting percentage in 2009, they have been unstoppable, racking up a 7-0 record. In two of those contests, East Carolina has surpassed the .400 plateau, firing at .442 and .434 clips against Savannah State and Winston-Salem State, respectively.
You Dig?
It is a widely held mantra that defense wins championships. For the Pirates in 2009, it also means winning games during the season as ECU owns a 7-0 mark when out-digging its opponents. In four of the victories, the Pirates have surpassed 40 (UNC Asheville 45, St. John's 58, Campbell 72, UNCW 76).
Non-Conference Notes
With the triumph vs. the Seahawks, the Pirates solidified a streak in which it has produced a winning non-conference record for five-straight seasons. Over that time, the team has garnered a 46-25 ledger outside of C-USA.
