ECU Opens American Conference Action, Hosts UConn Friday
September 25, 2014 | Volleyball
| Match 9: ECU vs. UConn | |
| Date | Friday, September 26 |
| 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 opens American Athletic Conference action Friday, September 26, as the Pirates host UConn inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for a 7 p.m. contest. Fans attending Thursday night's soccer match, can receive $2 admission at volleyball. Inaugural American Athletic Conference T-shirts will be given away to the first 100 fans in attendance.
The Series vs. UConn
The Pirates and the Huskies will meet for the first time in program history when they face off on Friday. UConn is the only school in the American Conference East Carolina has not played throughout the Pirates' 38-year volleyball history.
Last Time Out
East Carolina suffered a sweep against No. 3 Penn State in State College, Pa., to conclude the Penn State Alumni Classic. Sydney Darden was named to the All-Tournament Team after turning in a solid performance for ECU over the weekend as she helped the Pirates go 2-2 at the classic. Darden, along with junior middle blocker Kierra Lee-Dunson, led the Pirates with six kills each in the match. The sophomore outside hitter also added a match-high four block assists to go along with a pair of assists. Lee-Dunson was perfect through most of the match as she tallied six kills on 10 attempts with just one error to hit a team-best .500. The Pirates hung with the best in the nation through three sets and finished the match with 5.0 total team blocks to match the defending national champion's 5.0 blocks. East Carolina did a solid job of staying in the game and not backing down while playing in front of more than 3,300 fans. The Nittany Lions won in straight sets by scores of 25-11, 25-17, 25-10.
About the Pirates
For the first time in six years, East Carolina opened the year with a 5-0 record. The Pirates will open American Athletic Conference action Friday with a 6-2 mark. The Pirates are hitting .244 which ranks in the top three in the American. East Carolina averages 1.45 service aces per set which is good for fourth in the league. Sophomore Ashley McRae leads the Pirates with a hitting percentage of .417 which ranks her third in the conference and 23rd in the nation. Junior middle blocker Kierra Lee-Dunson owns an attack percentage of .349 to place eighth in the league. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Darden has knocked down 108 kills this year for an average of 3.48 per set which lists her in the top 10 in The American. Freshman Ashton Mares is seventh in the league with 0.34 service aces per set. Senior Zarah Cecich has tallied 252 assists this season to average 8.13 per set which puts her in seventh place in the conference.
Scouting the Huskies
UConn comes into Minges Coliseum with an 8-4 overall record and is 1-0 in the American Conference this season. The Huskies are coming off of a 3-0 sweep of Temple Wednesday night. The Huskies are hitting .191 as a team, while averaging 12.89 kills per set. Additionally, UConn averages 11.64 assists per set, 1.91 blocks per set and 14.87 digs per set. Junior Immanuella Anagu leads the Huskies in hitting percentage (.348) and blocks per set (1.13). Her attack percentage is good for ninth in the conference, while her blocks per set ratio is third. Anagu also adds 111 kills for an average of 2.47 per set. Biranna Datti, a senior libero, is the team leader in digs with 206 for an average of 4.58 per set to rank in the top 10 in the American. Datti has also contributed 49 assists (1.09 per set) and 11 service aces (0.24 per set). Senior Devon Maugle is the squad's leader in service aces as she has knocked down 14 to average 0.31 per set to rank 10th in the league.
The National Spotlight
Sophomore middle blocker Ashley McRae is hitting a team-leading .417 after knocking down 61 kills with just 13 errors on 109 attempts. The Silver Spring, Md., native's attack percentage ranks her third in the American Conference while ranking 23rd in the nation. McRae has helped the Pirates put together a .244 team attack percentage to rank third in the conference.
Movin' on Up
Senior setter Zarah Cecich has registered a total of 2,123 assists in her career to rank fifth in East Carolina's all-time record book. She has dished out 252 assists this season to average 8.13 per set. Last weekend at the Penn State Alumni Classic, Cecich notched 138 assists. She also added a season-high 58 assists in the Pirates' 3-2 win over Eastern Illinois to open the tournament. Cecich is just 49 assists away from moving into fourth place.
A Time to Kill
Sophomore Sydney Darden is the team leader in kills with 108. She is averaging 3.48 per set after leading the Pirates in kills in six out of eight matches thus far. She has notched five double-doubles for East Carolina this season and is hitting .188. Darden has helped the Pirates average 11.68 kills per set this year while hitting .244 to rank third in the American Conference.
Setting the Bar
Senior Zarah Cecich leads East Carolina in assists with an average of 8.13 per set after dishing out 252 this season. Cecich is the lone senior on the squad and has accumulated 2,123 career assists to rank fifth 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 10.52 assists per set as sophomore setter Bella Borgiotti and junior libero Lauren Bewick have also contributed to East Carolina's assist average.
Can You Dig It?
Sydney Darden owns a team-best 87 digs to average 2.81 per set. She tallied a career-high 17 digs 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 77 digs for an average of 2.48 per set. Bewick tallied a career-high 17 digs against Eastern Illinois at the Penn State Alumni Classic last weekend. Darden and Bewick have helped East Carolina average 11.65 digs per set as a team this season, while limiting opponents to just .198 hitting.
Block Party
Middle blockers Kierra Lee-Dunson and Ashley McRae have been solid at the net for the Pirates this season. The duo has combined for 52 total blocks this year. Lee-Dunson leads the Pirates with 29 total blocks (4 solo blocks, 25 block assists) for an average of 0.97 per set, while McRae is second on the team with 23 total blocks (3 solo blocks, 20 block assists) as she averages 0.74 per set. As a team, the Pirates are averaging 1.94 blocks per set to rank seventh in the American Conference. ECU's opponents have been limited to putting up just 0.82 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. 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. 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 will play host to Temple on Sunday, September 28, at 1 p.m. at Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum. The contest will mark the second meeting between the two teams in program history. Live stats and video will be available on ECUPirates.com.
