East Carolina University
10-13, 3-9AAC
SMU
21-3, 11-1AAC
Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision to AAC Leader SMU
November 01, 2015 | Volleyball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team closed out its four-match homestand Sunday with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-14) setback to American Athletic Conference leader SMU.
"I thought we played with a great spirit and energy today against the top team in our league," head coach Julie Torbett said. "Kierra Lee-Dunson and Ashley McRae were a solid presence in the middle but we had some unforced errors that hurt us. If we can play with this kind of effort moving forward, we will have some success in our remaining league matches."
The Mustangs ran an efficient offense that saw them hit .265 with 47 kills off of 132 attempts and 12 errors. ECU (10-13, 3-9 AAC) fired at a .104 clip with 33 kills, 125 attempts and 20 errors. The Pirates had the slight upper hand defensively, recording 62 digs to SMU's 60. In terms of blocking, the Mustangs (21-3, 11-1 AAC) held an 8.0 to 4.0 advantage. Both teams passed the ball well as SMU recorded the contest's only service ace.
Senior libero Erika Figueroa notched 14 digs to bring her season total to 426 - good for seventh place on the East Carolina single-season top-10 list. She needs just 15 more to tie her own sixth-place mark set just last year.
Figueroa was joined by three teammates in double figures as senior defensive specialist Lauren Bewick, sophomore outside hitter Ashton Mares and junior setter Sabrina Gonzalez chipped in with 12, 12 and 11 digs apiece. Gonzalez racked up 30 assists as well to complete her ninth double-double of the campaign.
Mares paced the offensive efforts with nine kills while sophomore middle hitter Natalie Montini tallied eight of her own. McRae and Lee-Dunson made just one error between them hitting .333 and .250 respectively.
Cailin Bula led the Mustangs with 12 kills to complement a 24-dig performance by Morgan Heise. Setter and 2014 AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection Avery Acker ran the SMU offense to the tune of 44 assists and seven digs.
After a close start to the first set, the Mustangs were able to edge out to an 8-4 lead following a kill by Brittany Adams. The Pirates fought back though, using a Mares kill to cap a 5-3 run that pulled them within 11-9. ECU did not back off and trimmed its deficit to 16-15 later in the set but SMU scored the next three points to force an East Carolina timeout.
The Pirates used their last timeout trailing 23-19 before a Mares kill and a Mustang attacking error helped the home team draw to within 23-21. SMU was able to capture the next two rallies, however, as they clinched the stanza.
ECU enjoyed a fast start to set two and led 4-1 thanks in part to a trio of kills from Mares, Montini and senior opposite Sierra Lee-Dunson. The Mustangs responded with a 6-2 run that knotted the score at seven then took an 8-7 advantage following an Abbey Bybel kill.
With the score deadlocked at eight, SMU went on a big run that saw it net 11 of the next 14 points and put the stanza out of reach. A kill by Bula later ended the set and sent the match to its intermission.
The teams traded points early on in the third frame. With the Mustangs holding an 8-7 edge, they pushed it out to 11-7 after a Janelle Giordano kill. East Carolina trailed by just three at 14-11 midway through the set but a 5-0 run gave SMU what it needed. Armed with a 19-11 advantage, the Mustangs closed out the match winning six of the final 10 points.
ECU will head back on the road next weekend for a pair of league matches in Florida against USF and UCF.
