ECU Closes Out Regular Season Against SMU, Tulsa
November 27, 2014 | Volleyball
| Matches 30 & 31: ECU vs. SMU & Tulsa | |
| Date | Friday, November 28 & Saturday, November 29 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. (EST) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |
| Match Notes | East Carolina  |
| Coverage | Live Stats vs. SMU | Video vs. SMU | Live Stats vs. Tulsa | Video vs. Tulsa |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina concludes the regular season with a pair of home matches against SMU and Tulsa on Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29, respectively. The Pirates and the Mustangs will meet Friday at 1 p.m., before ECU hosts the Golden Hurricane Saturday at 2 p.m. Both contests offer a Buy One, Get One Free ticket offer. Following Saturday's match, senior setter Zarah Cecich will be honored with a post-match senior day ceremony.
The Series vs. SMU
The Pirates and Mustangs will meet for the 12th time in program history. SMU holds the edge on the all-time series with a 7-4 advantage. Last month, the Mustangs swept East Carolina [23-25, 21-25, 16-25] at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. ECU is looking for its first win over SMU since 2008 when the Pirates defeated the Mustangs in five sets on October 28 at Minges Coliseum.
The Series vs. Tulsa
The Pirates and the Golden Hurricane face off on Saturday for the 13th time in program history. Tulsa leads the all-time series 11-1 as the Golden Hurricane has won the last 11 contests including a 3-0 sweep in Tulsa, Okla., last month. East Carolina defeated Tulsa in the two teams first-ever meeting in 2005 as the Pirates held off the Golden Hurricane 3-1 on October 30 in Greenville, N.C.
Last Time Out
The East Carolina volleyball team's offense was held to .125 hitting and 28 kills in a three-set sweep at Cincinnati Sunday afternoon. The Pirates were unable to hold off Cincinnati as the Bearcats hit .263 while knocking down 47 kills in the contest. East Carolina had a solid blocking game as it posted 7.0 total team blocks to equal Cincinnati's total team blocks. However, the Bearcats held the edge on ECU in kills (47 to 28), assists (45 to 26), digs (56 to 43) and aces (6 to 4). Ashton Mares led ECU with 10 kills, while adding nine digs and two block assists while hitting a team-leading .276. Zarah Cecich dished out 25 assists to go along with eight digs, two kills, one ace and one solo block. Erika Figueroa turned in 15 digs to lead the defense. East Carolina kept the first set close as the Pirates opened the contest with a 1-0 lead. After the early edge, the two teams traded points as they exchanged leads seven times and broke nine ties before Cincinnati went on a 5-0 run en route to winning the game, 25-23. Cincinnati hit .355 with 14 kills in the second set while the Bearcats' defense limited the Pirates to an .033 attack percentage. The game was close early on, but the Bearcats went on a 9-2 run as they rolled past the Pirates, 25-13. The Pirates recovered well from their offensive woes in the second set as they came out in the third frame and tallied 11 kills. Despite ECU's efforts and the Pirates tying the game 12 times, Cincinnati recorded 20 kills in the frame while hitting .265 as the Bearcats defeated ECU, 25-21.
About the Pirates
East Carolina has compiled a 15-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in American Conference action. The Pirates have won four out of their last six contests. The 15 overall victories and six conference wins are the most ECU has accumulated in a single season since 2007. The Pirates are hitting .192 on the year with 1321 kills for an average of 11.79 per set. East Carolina's assists average sits just under 11 at 10.90 per set, while the Pirates have notched 1,608 digs (14.36 per set) and 202.5 total blocks (1.81 per set). Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Darden leads the team in kills with 300 for an average of 2.78 per set. She also contributes 289 digs (2.68 per set), 40 total blocks (0.37 per set), 38 assists (0.35 per set) and 27 service aces (0.25 per set). Senior setter Zarah Cecich has paced the offense with 978 assists to average 8.81 per set to rank sixth in the American Conference. Cecich has added 213 digs (1.92 per set), 126 kills (1.14 per set), 48 total blocks (0.43 per set) and 25 aces (0.23 per set), while hitting .335. Defensively, junior libero Erika Figueroa owns a team-leading 416 digs while averaging 3.71 per set. She has also posted 64 assists (0.57 per set) and 20 aces (0.18 per set). Sophomore middle blocker Ashley McRae is ECU's leader in attack percentage (.353), which ranks her fourth in the American. She also leads the Pirates in total blocks (77) after accumulating seven solo blocks and 70 block assists to average 0.69 per set. She owns 235 kills on 473 attempts with 68 attack errors. McRae's blocks per set average is second on the team only to freshman middle blocker Natalie Montini, who has put up 68 total blocks (eight solo blocks and 60 block assists) for an average of 0.99 per set which ranks her fifth in the American.
Scouting the Mustangs
SMU is the second ranked team in the American Athletic Conference with a league record of 14-5. The Mustangs are 25-6 overall and own the best season record in the conference. SMU has won nine out its last four matches with its only loss coming at UCF, the conference leader. The Mustangs are hitting .218 as a team with 13.72 kills per set. They have dished out 12.95 assists per set to go along with 16.82 digs per set and 2.36 blocks per set. SMU's blocks per set average leads the league and the Mustangs are in the top three in every other statistical category. Caroline Young leads the offense with 3.10 kills per set after tallying 360 kills on the year. She owns a .237 attack percentage to go along with 2.03 digs per set and 0.61 blocks per set. Avery Acker is the Mustangs setter. She leads the team and conference with 11.64 assists per set while adding 3.33 digs per set and 0.59 blocks per set. Morgan Heise is second in the league with 615 digs to average 5.17 per set. Janelle Giordano has been a solid contributor at the net this season as she has accumulated 159 total blocks for an average of 1.34 blocks per set to lead the league.
Scouting the Golden Hurricane
Tulsa comes to East Carolina with a 21-9 overall record and a 13-6 league mark to rank fourth in the American Conference. The Golden Hurricane is coming off of a 3-1 loss at SMU Wednesday which snapped a eight-match winning streak. Prior to the setback, Tulsa had been victorious in 13 of its last 14 matches. The Golden Hurricane owns a .197 attack percentage and has limited opponents to .180 hitting. As a team, Tulsa averages 12.70 kills per set to go along with 11.99 assists per set. The Golden Hurricane leads the league with 172 service aces for an average of 1.51 per set. On defense, Tulsa has posted 16.75 digs per set and 1.85 blocks per set. Erica Bohannon leads the squad with 3.97 kills per set to rank second in the conference. She has also posted 185 digs (1.62 per set) and 52 total blocks (0.46 per set). Setter Bailey Clampitt has dished out 1189 assists on the year to average 10.43 assists per set to go along with 2.45 digs per set. Valerie El Houssine leads the American with 63 service aces for an average of 0.52 per set. She also adds 3.17 kills per set, 3.58 digs per set and 0.34 blocks per set.
Movin' on Up
Senior setter Zarah Cecich has registered a total of 2,849 assists in her career to rank third in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 978 assists this season to average 8.81 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, Pa. 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 300. She is averaging 2.78 per set after leading the Pirates in kills in 14 matches this year. She has notched 13 double-doubles for East Carolina this season. Darden has helped the Pirates average 11.79 kills per set this year while hitting .192 as a team.
Setting the Standard
Senior Zarah Cecich leads East Carolina in assists with an average of 8.81 per set after dishing out 978 this season. Cecich is the lone senior on the squad and has accumulated 2,849 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 10.90 assists per set.
Can You Dig It?
Junior libero Erika Figueroa is the Pirates' leader in digs this year as she has posted 416 in 112 sets to average 3.71 per set. Figueroa recorded a career-best 34 digs at UConn to tie the ECU single-game record. Her 416 digs have helped ECU's team average as the Pirates own 1,608 digs on the year for an average of 14.36 per set.
Block Party
Middle blockers Ashley McRae and Natalie Montini have been solid at the net for the Pirates this season. McRae owns 77 total blocks this year (7 solo blocks, 70 block assists) for an average of 0.69 per set. Montini has collected 68 total blocks (8 solo blocks, 60 block assists) for an average of 0.99 per set which is good for fifth in the conference. As a team, the Pirates are averaging 1.81 blocks per set. ECU's opponents have been limited to putting up 1.47 blocks per set this season.
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 91 sets this season and owns 109 kills and 52 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 11 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.
