East Carolina University
Tulsa
C-USA Leader Tulsa Downs ECU, 3-0
October 17, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team lost its eighth-straight match Sunday at Minges Coliseum, falling in three sets (25-4, 25-11, 25-18) to league leader Tulsa. The Pirates are now 1-19 overall and 0-8 in C-USA play while the Golden Hurricane improve to 19-2 in 2010 and 9-0 in conference action.
Freshman Whitney Campbell paced the ECU offense with six kills while classmate Kasey Kavanaugh dished out 13 assists. Defensively, redshirt junior Nicole Jones racked up nine digs, complemented by four blocks by redshirt sophomore Kelly Derby.
Tulsa recorded 43 kills on 86 attempts with 13 errors to produce a .349 hitting mark. The Golden Hurricane held the Pirates to just 15 kills on 84 attempts. Defensively, Tulsa outdug the home team 45-29 while the two squads ended up tied in blocks with four apiece.
The Golden Hurricane began the contest on an 8-0 run, capped off by a Jordan Clampitt kill. The lead would stretch all the way to 19-2 before Shelbi Pitcher served the ball into the net, giving it back to East Carolina. The Golden Hurricane quickly ended the frame from there, scoring six of the last seven points.
The Pirates jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second interval thanks to two blocks, but seven-straight scores by Tulsa forced head coach Pati Rolf to burn a timeout. The Golden Hurricane took advantages of 13-4 and 23-10 before cruising into intermission with a 2-0 match lead.
ECU made the third set a battle in the beginning as the Pirates held a 10-9 lead. However, Tulsa was too strong in the end, as a 12-4 run put the match away. East Carolina pulled within 23-17 but the Golden Hurricane managed two kills in the last three rallies.
The Pirates continue league play next weekend, traveling to Tulane and Southern Miss Friday and Sunday, respectively. Friday's match against the Green Wave in New Orleans is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET.
