Pirate Volleyball Welcomes USF to Minges Coliseum Friday Night
October 09, 2014 | Volleyball
| Match 14: ECU vs. USF | |
| Date | Friday, October 10 |
| 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 Minges Coliseum to play host to USF Friday, October 10 at 7 p.m. The Pirates and the Bulls will compete during the "Paint it Purple" promotion as all fans wearing purple will receive $2 admission. It is also employee appreciation day as all ECU faculty and staff will receive up to four free tickets with a valid OneCard.
Sunday's contest against UCF at 1 p.m., is also the Pirates' annual Dig Pink match. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer. Those wearing pink will receive $2 admission.
The Series vs. USF
The Pirates and the Bulls will meet for the fifth time in program history and USF leads the all-time series, 3-1. The last time the two teams met was 10 years ago, when East Carolina defeated USF, 3-2 [28-30, 30-27, 26-30, 30-20, 16-14] on October 2, 2004 in Tampa, Fla. Prior to the Pirates' win over the Bulls, USF had been victorious over ECU in their first three contests.
Last Time Out
After falling behind two sets to none, the East Carolina volleyball team won the final three sets to complete the comeback and defeat Houston, 3-2 [14-25 , 15-25, 25-18, 29-27, 15-13], last Sunday. The victory marked the Pirates' inaugural American Athletic Conference win. Freshman outside hitter Ashton Mares led the offensive attack with a career-high 20 kills, while hitting .300, and adding 14 digs, four service aces and one block assist. Sophomore middle hitter Ashley McRae also recorded double-figure kills with 12 as she posted an attack percentage of .476 to go along with four block assists and a pair of digs. Senior setter Zarah Cecich recorded a double-double with 50 assists and 24 digs in the contest, while junior defensive specialist Erika Figueroa notched a season-best 17 digs to pace the Pirates. Houston owned the first two matches as the Cougars limited the Pirates to just 14 points in the first set and 15 in the second. The Cougars led throughout the entire first set and allowed a pair of early ties in the second. The Pirates, however, were unable to take the lead as they quickly fell to Houston and found themselves down 0-2 going into the intermission. Following the break, the Pirates came out and fought through a few early ties. East Carolina took its first lead of the match, 10-9, on a Houston ball handling error. The Pirates extended their lead to three (12-9) after an ace serve by Mares followed by a kill off the hands of freshman Natalie Montini. ECU found its groove and claimed the third set by a score of 25-18 to stay alive. The fourth set was a battle throughout as the two teams traded leads several times. After finding themselves deadlocked at 27-27, Mares knocked down back-to-back kills to put set four in the books and force a fifth and deciding set. East Carolina took an early 6-1 lead over Houston in the fifth set after three consecutive aces from Mares, however, the Cougars called a timeout and regrouped. Houston fought back and came within one (14-13), but the Pirates would not quit and won the fifth set, 15-13.
About the Pirates
East Carolina secured its inaugural American Athletic Conference victory when it rallied to defeat Houston, 3-2, last Sunday. With the win, the Pirates improved to 8-5 overall and 1-3 in conference action. The Pirates are 5-2 at home as they begin a two-match homestand against USF and UCF Friday and Sunday, respectively. As a team, East Carolina is hitting .224 to rank fifth in the American Conference. The Pirates are also averaging 12.04 kills per set, 11.00 assists per set, 13.28 digs per set and 1.74 blocks per set. Sophomore middle hitter Ashley McRae leads the Pirates and the conference with a .426 hitting percentage which also ranks her in the top 10 in the nation. McRae has also contributed 111 kills (2.27 per set) and 42 total blocks (0.86 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 142 on the year. Darden also leads the Pirates with 127 digs for an average of 2.65 per set. Senior setter Zarah Cecich owns 426 assists to average 8.52 per set to rank sixth in the league.
Scouting the Bulls
USF comes into Minges Coliseum with an 8-9 overall record and a 2-3 American Conference ledger. The Bulls are coming off of a pair of losses to UCF (1-3) and Temple (0-3). Their two conference victories came against UConn (3-1) and Tulsa (3-1). The Bulls own a .198 attack percentage and are averaging 12.09 kills per set, 11.50 assists per set, 14.42 digs per set and 2.41 blocks per set. Their blocks per set average leads the conference. Junior outside hitter Erin Fairs leads the team with 252 kills to average 3.88 per set which is good for second in the league. Fairs has also posted a team-leading 228 digs (3.51 per set), 36 total blocks (0.55 per set) and 22 service aces (0.34 per set). Natalia Soares and Alex Mendoza share setter responsibilities as the duo has combined for 575 assists. Soares averages 5.71 per set, while Mendoza owns an assists average of 4.67. Senior middle blocker Jennica Mullins leads both the Bulls and the American in blocks per set as she has totaled 80 for an average of 1.25.
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 2,297 assists in her career to rank fourth in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 426 assists this season to average 8.52 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 129 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 welcomes UCF to Minges Coliseum for a Sunday afternoon contest. Match time is set for 1 p.m., on October 12. The contest is also the Pirates' annual Dig Pink match. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer. Those wearing pink will receive $2 admission.
