East Carolina Volleyball Suffers Sweep at SMU
October 03, 2015 | Volleyball
DALLAS - Junior Sabrina Gonzalez recorded her team-leading fifth double-double of the year and Ashley McRae hit a sizzling .500 in East Carolina's 3-0 [12-25, 14-25, 8-25] loss at SMU Friday night. Despite Gonzalez and McRae's efforts, the Pirates were unable to overcome a .429 attack percentage by the Mustangs as they fell to 8-6 (1-2 American) on the year, while SMU improved to 13-3 (3-1 American).
"It was a tough loss to a very strong SMU team," Head coach Julie Torbett said. "They are really strong in every position and gave our team more than they could handle. The bright spots of the night were Ashley McRae, who was one of the best players on the court and Sydney Darden who made it back on the court for the first time this season."
McRae led the East Carolina offense with seven kills on 14 attacks for a .500 attack percentage as she did not commit an attack error in the match. She also added a block assist to help contribute to ECU's 4.0 team blocks. Gonzalez posted a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs to go along with four assists and one block assist. Erika Figueroa dished out nine digs in the back row.
The Pirates played hard but were unable to contain the SMU offense which was led by Janelle Giordano's .583 attack percentage. She posted seven kills on 12 attacks and was one of five Mustangs who did not commit an attack error in the contest. Avery Acker, who was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week by the AVCA last week, recorded a double-double of her own with 43 assists and 11 digs, while adding a pair of kills. The SMU defense was led by Morgan Heise who registered 26 digs in the back row to help limit ECU to a .032 hitting percentage.
East Carolina recorded nine kills in the first set, but was plagued with errors as the Pirates also committed nine miscues to leave them with a .000 attack percentage. SMU kept ECU off balance and knocked down 15 kills with just one error en route to hitting .424 and owning a 91-percent sideout margin. Although the first set was tied three times, the Mustangs controlled the frame and cruised to a 25-12 win.
The Pirates registered their highest hitting percentage of the night in the second set as they hit .138 with just four errors. However, the Mustangs posted 17 kills and out hit East Carolina with a .342 hitting percentage. SMU took a 10-point lead (16-6) over ECU and never looked back as the Mustangs rolled to a 25-14 victory.
With a 2-0 set lead, SMU controlled the third set taking a quick 9-1 advantage that they would not relinquish. The Pirates were forced into a negative attack percentage (-.038), while the Mustangs boasted a .556 hitting percentage with 17 kills and just two errors. SMU held a sizable lead on East Carolina throughout the match and eventually won by a score of 25-8 to complete the sweep.
East Carolina looks to bounce back from its loss on Sunday, Oct. 4 when it plays at Tulsa. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m. (ET). Live stats will be available on ECUPirates.com.
