East Carolina Resumes Conference Action at Temple
November 13, 2014 | Volleyball
| Match 26: ECU at Temple | |
| Date | Friday, November 14 |
| Time | 6:30 p.m. (EST) |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Match Notes | East Carolina  |
| Coverage | Live Stats | Video |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina returns to American Athletic Conference action Friday, November 14, when the Pirates travel to Philadelphia, Pa., to take on Temple. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Series vs. Temple
The Pirates and the Owls are meeting for just the third time in program history. Temple holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series. Earlier this season, Temple swept ECU, 3-0 [19-25, 22-25, 13-25], in Greenville, N.C., on September 28. East Carolina is looking for its first-ever win over the Owls.
Last Time Out
East Carolina posted 10.0 total team blocks as the Pirates earned a 3-1 win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Tuesday evening. ECU got off to a slow start as the Pirates dropped the first set, 25-18, however, East Carolina came back and won the last three sets to earn the victory. The Pirates edged the Hawks, 25-23, in the second set, before regrouping during the intermission. The break in action seemed to help as ECU stormed back and rolled past UMES by scores of 25-15 and 25-14 in the final two sets. Ashton Mares led the ECU offense with 15 kills on .314 hitting. Sydney Darden added 14 kills and Ashley McRae hit a team-best .353 with seven kills. Darden also added 10 digs for a double-double, while McRae posted a match-high seven total blocks. Erika Figueroa guided the Pirates' defense as she registered 19 digs in the contest, while adding three assists. Zarah Cecich set the tone for the ECU offense as she dished out 33 assists to go along with nine digs, four block assists and three kills on six attempts without committing an error as she hit .500. The Hawks took a 5-1 lead to start the match and never looked back. UMES hit .263 in the frame and knocked down 14 kills, while the defense held ECU to .132 hitting. The Pirates trailed throughout the first set and fell to the Hawks, 25-18. ECU was quick to even the slate as the Pirates took a 4-2 advantage on back-to-back kills from Darden to take an early lead. East Carolina held a slight edge over the Hawks for the remainder of the set and came away with a 25-23 win. Following the intermission, the Pirates took the court and turned in a .355 attack percentage with 14 kills in the third set. ECU's defense held the Hawks to .160 hitting after forcing them into four attack errors. East Carolina broke a 9-9 tie and went on an 11-1 run to take a 20-10 lead. From there the Pirates cruised to a 25-15 victory. ECU carried the momentum from the third set into the fourth as the Pirates registered 13 kills and the defense forced the Hawks into eight attack errors as the hosts hit .000 in the set. ECU jumped out in front 9-3 and led UMES the entire frame. The Pirates continued to build on their lead as they rolled to a 25-14 win.
About the Pirates
East Carolina has compiled a 13-12 overall record and a 4-10 mark in American Conference action. The Pirates have collected conference victories over Houston (3-2), USF (3-1), Cincinnati (3-2), and most recently, Tulane (3-0). As a team, the Pirates are hitting .196 on the year with 1128 kills for an average of 11.87 per set. East Carolina's assists average sits just under 11 at 10.93 per set, while the Pirates have notched 1,336 digs (14.06 per set) and 179.5 total blocks (1.89 per set). Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Darden leads the team in kills with 262 for an average of 2.88 per set. She also contributes 252 digs (2.77 per set), 36 total blocks (0.40 per set), 35 assists (0.38 per set) and 20 service aces (0.22 per set). Senior setter Zarah Cecich has paced the offense with 818 assists to average 8.70 per set. Cecich has added 181 digs (1.93 per set), 109 kills (1.16 per set), 42 total blocks (0.45 per set) and 21 aces (0.22 per set), while hitting .343. Defensively, junior libero Erika Figueroa owns a team-leading 311 digs while averaging 3.27 per set. She has also posted 56 assists (0.59 per set) and 18 aces (0.19 per set). Sophomore middle blocker Ashley McRae is ECU's leader in attack percentage (.367), which ranks her fourth in the American, and total blocks (72) after accumulating six solo blocks and 66 block assists. She owns 204 kills on 401 attempts with 57 attack errors. McRae's blocks per set average of 0.77 is second on the team only to freshman middle blocker Natalie Montini, who has put up 52 total blocks (six solo blocks and 46 block assists) for an average of 1.00 per set.
Scouting the Owls
Temple owns a 21-6 overall record and is 12-3 in conference play to rank second in the league. The Owls are on a nine-match winning streak as they have not lost a game since a 3-1 setback against Memphis on October 12. Temple has performed well on its home court as the Owls are 9-1 at McGonigle Arena this season. The Owls are hitting .247 this year with an average of 13.8 kills per set. Additionally, they average 12.9 assists per game, 16.7 digs per set and 1.8 blocks per set. Dara Peric and Kirsten Overton lead the Owls offensively with 2.49 and 2.44 kills per set, respectively. Peric is second on the team with 3.12 digs per set. She comes in behind Alyssa Drachslin who has notched 462 digs for an average of 4.62 per set. Sandra Sydlik has done her job pacing the offense as she has dished out 1,000 assists to average 10.99 per set.
Movin' on Up
Senior setter Zarah Cecich has registered a total of 2,689 assists in her career to rank third in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 818 assists this season to average 8.70 per set. 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 has led the Pirates in assists in every single match this season.
A Time to Kill
Sophomore Sydney Darden is the team leader in kills with 262. She is averaging 2.88 per set after leading the Pirates in kills in 13 matches this year. She has notched 12 double-doubles for East Carolina this season. Darden has helped the Pirates average 11.87 kills per set this year while hitting .196 as a team.
Setting the Standard
Senior Zarah Cecich leads East Carolina in assists with an average of 8.70 per set after dishing out 818 this season. Cecich is the lone senior on the squad and has accumulated 2,689 career assists to rank third 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 10.93 assists per set.
Can You Dig It?
Junior libero Erika Figueroa is the Pirates' leader in digs this year as she has posted 311 in 91 sets to average 3.27 per set. Figueroa has recorded a career-best 33 digs on two occasions this season. Figueroa's 33 digs rank her second in the single-game record book. Her 311 digs have helped ECU's team average as the Pirates own 1,336 digs on the year for an average of 14.06 per set.
Block Party
Middle blockers Ashley McRae and Natalie Montini have been solid at the net for the Pirates this season. McRae owns 72 total blocks this year (6 solo blocks, 66 block assists) for an average of 0.77 per set. Montini has collected 52 total blocks (6 solo blocks, 46 block assists) for an average of 1.00 per set. As a team, the Pirates are averaging 1.89 blocks per set. ECU's opponents have been limited to putting up 1.42 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 77 sets this season and owns 82 kills and 50 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 owns a .288 attack percentage, while Sierra has seen action in 10 sets thus far with eight total blocks. 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 continues its road swing as the Pirates head to UConn to battle it out with the Huskies on Sunday, November 16. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available on ECUPirates.com.
