ECU Hosts UCF in Annual Dig Pink Match
October 11, 2014 | Volleyball
| Match 15: ECU vs. UCF | |
| Date | Sunday, October 12 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. (EDT) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |
| Match Notes | East Carolina  |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Video |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina welcomes American Conference leader, UCF, to Minges Coliseum for a Sunday, October 12 contest at 1 p.m. The Pirates and the Knights will compete during the "Dig Pink" promotion as all fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. Those who wear pink will receive $2 admission.
The Series vs. UCF
The Pirates and the Knights will meet for the 18th time in program history and UCF leads the all-time series, 9-8. The last time the two teams met was two seasons ago, when UCF swept East Carolina, 3-0 [7-25, 12-25, 20-25] on October 26, 2012 in Greenville, N.C. ECU is looking for its first win over the Knights since 2009 when the Pirates defeated UCF in four sets.
Last Time Out
East Carolina had three players score in double-figures Friday as the Pirates defeated USF, 3-1 [25-18, 7-25, 25-20, 25-21], at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates won game one, but had a rough outing in the second set as they were only able to muster seven points in the frame. However, East Carolina managed to put it behind them and come back to win the third and fourth sets and claim the match. East Carolina finished the match with 49 kills as sophomore outside hitter Sydney Darden and freshman outside hitter Ashton Mares each knocked down a match-high 12. Sophomore middle hitter Ashley McRae added 11 kills of her own to add to the Pirates' total. Darden and Mares showed their versatility as they collected 11 and 12 digs, respectively, on defense to each earn a double-double in the contest. Junior defensive specialist Erika Figueroa also contributed to the defensive effort with 11 digs of her own. Senior setter Zarah Cecich paced the Pirates' offense with 41 assists while adding nine digs, four kills and a pair of block assists.
About the Pirates
East Carolina owns a 9-5 overall and 2-3 record in conference action. The Pirates are 6-2 at home as they conclude a two-match homestand against UCF Sunday. As a team, East Carolina is hitting .219 to rank fifth in the American Conference. The Pirates are also averaging 12.06 kills per set, 11.09 assists per set, 13.30 digs per set and 1.76 blocks per set. Sophomore middle hitter Ashley McRae leads the Pirates and the conference with a .413 hitting percentage which also ranks her in the top 10 in the nation. McRae has also contributed 122 kills (2.30 per set) and 45 total blocks (0.85 per set). Her blocks per game average also leads the team. Junior outside hitter Sydney Darden is the team leader in kills as she averages 2.96 per set after accumulating 154 on the year. Darden also leads the Pirates with 138 digs for an average of 2.65 per set. Senior setter Zarah Cecich owns 467 assists to average 8.65 per set to rank sixth in the league.
Scouting the Knights
UCF comes into Minges Coliseum at the first-place team in the American Conference with a 12-5 overall record and a perfect 5-0 American Conference ledger. The Knights have won five matches in a row since opening conference action at SMU. Their last loss came at then-No. 7 Florida on September 21. The Knights own a .280 attack percentage and are averaging 14.67 kills per set, 13.85 assists per set, 15.87 digs per set and 2.09 blocks per set. The Knights lead the conference in almost every statistical category. Jale Hervey leads the team with 225 kills to average 3.75 per set. She has also posted a team-leading 56 total blocks (0.93 per set) and 37 digs (0.62 per set). Marie Reiterova and Dana Faught share setter responsibilities as the duo has combined for 724 assists. Reiterova averages 6.28 per set, while Faught owns an assists average of 5.78.
The National Spotlight
Sophomore middle blocker Ashley McRae is hitting a team-leading .426 after knocking down 111 kills with just 22 errors on 209 attempts. The Silver Spring, Md., native's attack percentage leads the American Conference while ranking 10th in the nation. McRae has helped the Pirates put together a .224 team attack percentage to rank fifth in the conference.
Movin' on Up
Senior setter Zarah Cecich has registered a total of 2,338 assists in her career to rank fourth in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 467 assists this season to average 8.65 per set to rank seventh in the conference. She notched a season-high 58 assists in the Pirates' 3-2 win over Eastern Illinois to open the Penn State Alumni Classic before helping ECU to a 2-2 showing in State College. Cecich is 88 assists away from moving into third place.
A Time to Kill
Sophomore Sydney Darden is the team leader in kills with 142. She is averaging 2.96 per set after leading the Pirates in kills in six matches thus far. She has notched seven double-doubles for East Carolina this season and is hitting .131. Freshman Ashton Mares is second on the squad with 123 kills for an average of 2.56 per set. Darden and Mares have helped the Pirates average 12.04 kills per set this year while hitting .224 to rank fifth in the American Conference.
Setting the Standard
Senior Zarah Cecich leads East Carolina in assists with an average of 8.52 per set after dishing out 426 this season. Cecich is the lone senior on the squad and has accumulated 2,297 career assists to rank fourth all-time. She recorded a season-best 58 against Eastern Illinois Friday, September 19, to help ECU capture a 3-2 win over the Panthers at the Penn State Alumni Classic. As a team, the Pirates average 11.00 assists per set as sophomore setter Bella Borgiotti has also contributed to East Carolina's assist average with 47 assists of her own (1.24 per set).
Can You Dig It?
Sydney Darden owns a team-best 127 digs to average 2.65 per set. She tallied a career-high 17 digs on two occasions against Morgan State and Eastern Illinois, as she helped guide East Carolina to a pair of 3-2 wins over the Bears and Panthers. Junior libero Lauren Bewick is second on the squad with 125 digs for an average of 2.55 per set. Bewick tallied a career-high 18 digs in the Pirates' 3-1 loss at Tulane last weekend. Darden and Bewick have helped East Carolina average 13.28 digs per set as a team this season.
Block Party
Sophomore middle blocker Ashley McRae has been solid at the net for the Pirates this season. She owns 42 total blocks this year (4 solo blocks, 38 block assists) for an average of 0.86 per set. Junior Kierra Lee-Dunson is second on the team with 32 total blocks (4 solo blocks, 28 block assists) as she averages 0.65 per set. As a team, the Pirates are averaging 1.74 blocks per set. ECU's opponents have been limited to putting up just 1.15 blocks per set this season.
All-Tourney
At the East Carolina Invitational, two Pirates were named to the All-Tournament Team. Senior setter Zarah Cecich and junior middle blocker Kierra Lee-Dunson picked up the honors after helping lead ECU to a 3-0 record to start the season. Cecich finished the weekend with 84 assists (7.64 per set), 15 kills, 11 digs, five blocks and four service aces. Lee-Dunson was solid at the net as she posted a team-best 14 total blocks (1.27 per set) to go along with 10 kills, two digs and one ace. Two weeks later, Sydney Darden collected All-Tournament Team Honors after being named to the Penn State Classic Team. Darden finished the weekend in State College, Pa., with 64 kills to average 3.76 per set, 47 digs for an average of 2.76 per set, nine total blocks (0.53 per set), seven assists (0.41 per set) and three service aces. She knocked down a career-high 26 kills while hitting .317 in the Pirates' 2-3 setback against UIC. She also added a career-best 17 digs in ECU's 3-2 win over Eastern Illinois.
The American
East Carolina joins the American Athletic Conference for the 2014 season along with Tulane and Tulsa. The Pirates will compete against common foes from their Conference USA years in Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF, while meeting new opponents such as Cincinnati, Temple, UConn and USF.
All in the Family
There are a few East Carolina family connections on the roster again this season. Junior Torre Blake, who has played in 22 sets this season and owns 12 kills and six digs, is the daughter of Jeff Blake who played football at ECU and proceeded to enjoy a lengthy NFL career. She is also the cousin of Isaiah Jones, a sophomore receiver on the Pirate football team. Additionally, Kierra and Sierra Lee-Dunson return to the Pirates this season and Kierra has an impressive .349 attack percentage, while Sierra has seen action in three sets thus far. The last time East Carolina had a pair of twins on the court was in 2003 when Sarah and Jessica Vick donned purple and gold from 2001-03.
Coming Up
East Carolina travels to Oklahoma and Texas to take on Tulsa and SMU on Friday, October 17 and Sunday, October 19, respectively. First serve at Tulsa is set for 8 p.m. (ET), while the match at SMU will begin at 2 p.m (ET). Live stats will be available on ECUPirates.com
