East Carolina University
Furman
East Carolina Swept By Furman
September 17, 2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team's attempt for its first win of the 2010 campaign fell short Friday as Furman defeated the Pirates 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-18) in the second match of the Georgetown Classic at McDonough Arena. ECU is now 0-10 overall while the Paladins improve to 4-6.
Juniors Amanda Lutzow and Jackie Varnum each recorded a team-high seven kills while senior Marina Gusman-Brown collected eight digs. Additionally, freshman Kasey Kavanaugh started her fourth-straight match and dished out 19 assists.
The first set was tight at the beginning until Furman went on a 4-0 run, causing the Pirates to call timeout trailing 18-14. The Paladins would hold off ECU from there, outscoring the Pirates 7-6 to take the first frame.
Furman jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second frame, and the lead only got larger from there - ballooning to 14-7. East Carolina could manage only three more points the rest of the way, as the Paladins cruised to intermission up 2-0.
The score was tied at four after eight points in the third interval, but Furman used a 4-0 run to take an 8-4 advantage and draw a timeout from the Pirate sideline. ECU cut the lead to 13-10 but that was as close as it would get before the Paladins garnered another four-point run with score 17-13 to put the match out of reach.
Furman held the advantage in every statistical category, including hitting (.314 to .133), kills (41-24), digs (42-24) and blocking (5.0-2.0). The Paladins also took advantage of the Pirates' passing effort, recording eight service aces.
ECU returns to McDonough Arena tomorrow to end the Georgetown Invitational. The Pirates will play the host Hoyas, who defeated Binghamton 3-0 in Friday's first match, at 1 p.m. before battling the Bearcats at 4:30.
