Volleyball Ends Road Swing At Campbell
September 22, 2009 | Volleyball
Sept. 22, 2009
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
ECU Volleyball Gameday Central
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team officially closes out a 12-match road swing Tuesday night as it travels to Buies Creek for a showdown with in-state rival Campbell at 7 p.m. The Pirates have had much success in their dealings with the Camels, holding a 32-6 advantage in the series and winning the last four meetings. Campbell's last victory against ECU occurred in 2004 at Minges Coliseum when the Camels rallied from a 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 (24-30, 23-30, 30-25, 30-24, 15-13) triumph. In 2009, senior outside Stephanie Turner leads ECU with 112 kills, 2.95 kills per set and 79 digs while classmate and setter Hannah Fenker remains in ninth-place on the Pirate career ledger with 1,452 assists. Defensively, senior Katie Prast sits just behind Turner with 77 digs while Nicole Jones is third, having tallied 68.
LOOKING BACK: East Carolina dropped its Conference USA opener to Marshall last Saturday in four sets (21-25, 31-29, 20-25, 22-25) as the Herd improved to 12-2 and 1-0 in conference play. Turner led a quartet of Pirates in double digit kills with 13, joining Melissa Zentner (11), Lizzy Bruin (10) and Britney Roper (10). Additionally, Fenker handed out 37 assists to go along with a career-high five block assists. On the defensive side, sophomore Amanda Lutzow started and played at libero, picking up 13 digs, just two shy of her career high set last season against N.C. State. For Marshall, Elizabeth Herman put down 16 kills while Elizabeth Fleming handed out 49 assists.
ABOUT CAMPBELL: Campbell enters tonight's contest with an 8-4 overall record and a 3-1 ledger in Atlantic Sun contests. The Camels have won three-straight matches and most recently dispatched Kennesaw State on the road in four sets (25-22, 25-19, 24-26, 25-10). Ashley Weers and Emily Werner led Campbell offensively with 16 and 10 kills, respectively, while Sarah Hill and Hope Leatigaga contributed 14 and 11 digs. Leatigaga also distributed 37 assists. This season, Werner tops the Camels with 121 kills while Weers follows close behind with 105. Caitlin Bendy serves as the top presence at the net, having collected 49 total blocks. In the back row, Lauren Garza ancors the squad and has 122 digs to her credit.
WAY DOWN LOW
In the match with Savannah State, the Pirates allowed just two points to the Tigers in the first set. It is the fewest given up by East Carolina since rally scoring went into effect in 2001. Only UAB has matched this feat nationally this season, holding Alcorn State to a pair of scores in the first set of a 3-0 decision on Sept. 4 at the Magnolia Invitational in Oxford, Miss.
QUEENS OF THE ACE
Giving opponents trouble this season with their serving, the Pirates have notched an impressive 69 aces for an average of 1.77 per set, a mark which currently leads C-USA and is 35th nationally. ECU has taken advantage of some good placement and poor passing by its opposition, having recorded 11 aces each against VCU and Savannah State.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTES
With a current 5-5 non-conference record, the Pirates have a good chance of sustaining a four-year streak in which they have posted a winning record in non-league contests. East Carolina has two more chances to record a non-conference triumph, starting tonight at Campbell. Over the past four-plus seasons, the Pirates have garnered a 43-25 ledger outside of C-USA.
ANYTHING BUT EVEN
East Carolina's record may stand at just 5-6, but the Pirates have notched more kills (468-422), attempts (1,258-1,141), assists (424-379), aces (69-53) and points (608.0-546.5) than their opposition. However, ECU's foes own the edge in digs (478-441) and total blocks (71.5-71.0).
A GOOD START IS ESSENTIAL
Just as breakfast is a good start to a day, the Pirates winning the first set of a match has proven quite beneficial. When taking the first frame this season, East Carolina is 4-1.
PLAYING FOR A CENTURY
Seniors Hannah Fenker, Stephanie Turner and Melissa Zentner have all reached the 100-match plateau for their careers. Fenker and Turner passed the milestone against Arkansas while Zenter reached the mark with her play in the contest vs. Savannah State.
FINALLY FLEENER
Briana Fleener became the final member of the 2009 East Carolina roster to experience match action, as she played four sets at the WSSU Invitational. She enjoyed her best match against Savannah State, recording seven kills on nine attempts with two errors to hit .556. Fleener also picked up a block assist versus the Tigers.
ROPER, ROPER
Redshirt sophomore Britney Roper enjoyed one of her finest outings as an East Carolina volleyball player against Winston-Salem State, pounding the Rams for 12 kills. Even more impressively, she hit at a .667 clip on 18 attempts while committing no errors. That percentage is the second- highest mark by a Conference USA player this season. Additionally, her 20 kills against St. John's represent the third-most in a single match among league athletes in 2009 and the third-most in a four-set contest.This feat is noteworthy since only Lizzy Bruin reached that plateau last season. Additionally, Roper aced the Red Storm a personal-best five times.
WHO IS THAT BACK THERE??
In an attempt to shake things up in the back row, head coach Pati Rolf has placed senior Katie Prast and sophomore Amanda Lutzow in the libero position to feature their solid passing and defensive skills. Lutzow has begun to excel in her new role, picking up a team-best 13 digs at Marshall.
