East Carolina University
SMU
Spikers Dealt 3-0 Loss At SMU
November 07, 2010 | Volleyball
Nov. 7, 2010
DALLAS, Texas - East Carolina hit .226 Sunday, its highest percentage of the season, but SMU proved too much as the Mustangs downed the Pirates 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-16) at Moody Coliseum. ECU falls to 1-25 overall and 0-14 in C-USA play while SMU improves to 21-5 and 13-2.
Juniors Jackie Varnum and Britney Roper downed eight kills each to pace the Pirate offense while classmate Amanda Lutzow picked up seven. The Pirates had no players in the negative in terms of hitting. Freshman Kasey Kavanaugh was key in the output as she handed out 30 assists, the most for the rookie in a three-set match. Defensively, East Carolina had a trio of players collect five digs as part of a 28-dig team effort.
The Mustangs enjoyed an efficient hitting day, putting down 45 kills on 92 attempts with just 12 errors for a .359 mark. However, the Pirates won the blocking battle by 1.5 (8.5-7).
The first set was close for much of its duration as SMU took the lead by three a pair of times. With the Mustangs leading 15-12, Lutzow and Whitney Campbell tallied kills to bring East Carolina within one. However, when Campbell made the score 16-15 with another kill, SMU blitzed the Pirates with a 9-1 run that abruptly ended the frame.
Varnum helped ECU to a 2-0 lead in the second interval with a block assist and a kill, but the Mustangs took 15 of the next 20 points to push ahead 15-12. The advantage grew to 23-16, but the Pirates had one last push. With SMU leading 24-17, East Carolina fought off four set points and trailed 24-21 before a block put an end to the Pirate comeback.
After SMU raced out to a 3-0 lead in the third set, ECU quickly tied it thanks to a kill and a block. A 5-2 run from the home team forced head coach Pati Rolf to call a timeout with the score at 10-5. However, it would prove ineffective as the Mustangs took leads of 15-6 and 21-14 on their way to the match-clinching win.
The Pirates complete their four-game road trip next weekend with matches on consecutive days at Houston and Rice. East Carolina takes on the Cougars Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. at the Athletics/Alumni Center.
