East Carolina Volleyball Hosts Cincinnati Friday Night
October 23, 2014 | Volleyball
| Match 18: ECU vs. Cincinnati | |
| Date | Friday, October 24 |
| Time | 7:00 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 returns to the friendly confines of Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum as the Pirates host Cincinnati on Friday, October 24 at 7 p.m. The contest is fan appreciation day as fans who bring their ticket stub from the ECU-UConn football game will receive $2 admission. Additionally, it is Young Professionals night as a group of Pitt County Young Professionals will be in attendance.
The Series vs. Cincinnati
The Pirates and the Bearcats will meet for the seventh time in program history and Cincinnati has won each encounter as it leads the all-time series 6-0. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2003 when Cincinnati swept East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. ECU is looking for its first-ever victory over the Bearcats Friday night.
Last Time Out
The East Carolina volleyball team dropped its third straight match when the Pirates fell in straight sets to SMU, 3-0 [23-25, 21-25, 16-25] Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum. The Pirates were out-hit by SMU .205 to .078 and the Mustangs knocked down 43 kills to ECU's 26 as East Carolina's offensive woes continued. However, the Pirates' defense hung close with the Mustangs' as ECU posted 51 digs and 6.0 total team blocks, while SMU recorded 55 digs and 7.0 team blocks. East Carolina was led by Sydney Darden's eight kills, 13 digs and four total blocks. Lauren Bewick added 11 digs, while Zarah Cecich dished out 23 assists, six digs, three kills and a pair of aces. Kierra Lee-Dunson led the Pirates with a .333 attack percentage as she connected on five kills with just one attack error on 12 attempts. The first set saw nine ties and three lead changes as the Pirates battled to stay in the game. With the set tied at 23-all, the Mustangs took the game to set-point after a kill from Cailin Bula and won the frame on an ECU attack error. The Pirates again stayed close to the Mustangs in the second set as they fought through seven ties and three lead changes. SMU broke the final tie on a kill off the hands of Caroline Young to put the hosts up 21-20 which forced ECU to take a timeout. Following the break in action, the Mustangs out-scored the Pirates 4-1 to win the set, 25-21, and take a 2-0 lead into the intermission. The Mustangs controlled the third set from the start as they took an 8-3 lead and never looked back. The Pirates trailed by as many as nine points on several occasions and were unable to pull any closer as SMU won the third set, 25-16.
About the Pirates
East Carolina owns a 9-8 overall record and is 2-6 in American Athletic Conference action. The Pirates are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping three straight sweeps to UCF, Tulsa and SMU. As a team, East Carolina is hitting .206 to rank seventh in the American Conference. The Pirates are also averaging 11.94 kills per set, 11.00 assists per set, 13.30 digs per set and 1.63 blocks per set. Sophomore middle hitter Ashley McRae leads the Pirates and is fourth in the conference with a .360 hitting percentage. McRae has also contributed 140 kills (2.26 per set) and 47 total blocks (0.76 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 2.89 per set after accumulating 176 on the year. Darden also leads the Pirates with 167 digs for an average of 2.74 per set. Senior setter Zarah Cecich owns 543 assists to average 8.62 per set to rank eighth in the league. She has posted 2,414 total career assists to rank her fourth at East Carolina all-time.
Scouting the Bearcats
Cincinnati comes into Minges Coliseum with a 13-8 overall record and a 5-4 conference ledger. The Bearcats have lost their last two matches against UCF (0-3) and Memphis (1-3). The Bearcats are hitting .218 while all averaging 12.96 kills per set. Their defense has dished out 14.99 digs per set, 2.07 blocks per set, while allowing opponents to hit .209. Emma Roberson has tallied a team-leading 282 kills for an average of 3.57 per set, while hitting .283, with 39 total blocks and 24 digs. Caitlin Ogletree is the team's primary setter as she has posted 520 assists to average nearly 9.00 per set. She also adds 121 digs (2.09 per set). Jamie Netisingha owns 364 digs to average a team-leading 4.61 per set to help the defense, while Me'Asha Nicholson has posted 81 total blocks for an average of 1.03 per set.
Movin' on Up
Senior setter Zarah Cecich has registered a total of 2,414 assists in her career to rank fourth in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 543 assists this season to average 8.62 per set to rank eighth 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 just 12 assists away from moving into third place.
A Time to Kill
Sophomore Sydney Darden is the team leader in kills with 176. She is averaging 2.89 per set after leading the Pirates in kills in nine matches this year. She has notched eight double-doubles for East Carolina this season and is hitting .127. Freshman Ashton Mares is second on the squad with 154 kills for an average of 2.52 per set. Darden and Mares have helped the Pirates average 11.94 kills per set this year while hitting .206 to rank seventh in the American Conference.
Setting the Standard
Senior Zarah Cecich leads East Carolina in assists with an average of 8.62 per set after dishing out 543 this season. Cecich is the lone senior on the squad and has accumulated 2,414 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 167 digs to average 2.74 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 defensive specialist Erika Figueroa and freshman outside hitter Ashton Mares are second on the squad with 147 digs for an average of 2.41 per set. Figueroa tallied a season-high 17 digs in the Pirates' 3-2 win at Houston on October 5, while Mares posted a career-best 17 against UIC on September 19. The trio have helped East Carolina average 13.30 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 47 total blocks this year (4 solo blocks, 43 block assists) for an average of 0.76 per set. Junior Kierra Lee-Dunson is second on the team with 39 total blocks (6 solo blocks, 33 block assists) as she averages 0.63 per set. As a team, the Pirates are averaging 1.63 blocks per set. ECU's opponents have been limited to putting up 1.40 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 welcomes Memphis to Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum on Sunday, October 26 at 1 p.m. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will host a safe Trick or Treat one hour prior to first serve. All kids wearing a costume will receive FREE admission to the match with an accompanying adult. A costume contest will be held during intermission.
