East Carolina Embarks on Final Road Swing of 2015 Campaign
November 19, 2015 | Volleyball
Houston Match Coverage: Live Video ($$$) |
Tulane Match Coverage: Live Video ($$$) |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team takes to the road for the final time in 2015 this weekend, traveling to Houston and New Orleans for a pair of American Athletic Conference matches against Houston and Tulane. The Pirates will face off with the Cougars Friday at 8 p.m. (EST) before battling the Green Wave Sunday at 1 p.m.
Links to live stats and video for both contests can be accessed through www.ecupirates.com.
East Carolina enters the weekend with an 11-16 overall record and 4-12 mark in AAC play after falling to Memphis and Cincinnati at home. The Pirates battled the Tigers to five sets Friday in front of a season-best crowd of 1,168 and led the visitors 13-11 in the decider before Memphis rallied with four-straight points to close the match. ECU closed the weekend dropping a three-set decision to Cincinnati.
Sophmore outside hitter Ashton Mares leads the Pirate offense and ranks eighth in the American with an average of 3.06 kills per set. Running that offense is junior setter Sabrina Gonzalez who checks in at fourth in the league rankings averaging 9.20 assists per set. Defensively, senior libero Erika Figueroa sits among the AAC and national leaders in digs per set as her 5.08 average is good for third in the league and 25th in Division I.
Figueroa, who was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll last week, needs just 24 digs to set a new single-season program record and only 58 more to move into third on the ECU career chart.
As a team, East Carolina is averaging 12.05 kills, 11.03 assists, 1.02 aces, 16.15 digs and 1.78 blocks while hitting .196 over 102 sets.
About Houston
Overall Record: 18-11 (8-9 American)
Last Match: Houston 3, Tulane 1 (Nov. 18 at Houston, Texas)
Head Coach: Kaddie Platt (Fourth season at Houston)
Current NCAA RPI Ranking: 136
Top Offensive Threat: Brookah Palmer (4.22 kills/set)
Top Defensive Performer: Olivia O'Dell (5.63 digs/set)
Series: Houston leads East Carolina, 15-3
About Tulane
Overall Record: 9-20 (3-14 American)
Last Match: Houston 3, Tulane 1 (Nov. 18 at Houston, Texas)
Head Coach: Sinisa Momic (Seventh season at Tulane)
Current NCAA RPI Ranking: 240
Top Offensive Threat: Tea Juric (3.37 kills/set)
Top Defensive Performer: Lisa Mordell (3.73 digs/set)
Series: Tulane leads East Carolina, 15-3
Last Time Against Houston
East Carolina 3, Houston 0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-20)
Oct. 11, 2015 - Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
ECU picked up its second-straight victory over Houston who entered the match tied for first place in the conference standings. Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Montini registered 10 kills on .455 hitting in the contest while Mares recorded a team-best 11 kills to give the Pirates their sixth sweep of the season. Gonzalez was responsible for 37 of the team's 40 assists and Figueroa tallied 21 digs to pace the defense. East Carolina fired at a .324 clip and out-dug the Cougars 51-48. The Pirates also doubled up Houston in the blocking column 8.0-4.0.
Last Time Against Tulane
East Carolina 3, Tulane 2 (25-21, 25-19, 26-28, 20-25, 15-10)
Oct. 9, 2015 - Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
East Carolina built a 2-0 lead over Tulane at intermission and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Green Wave to complete the weekend sweep of conference foes. Mares led the way with a match-high 17 kills and added 12 digs for a double-double. Kierra Lee-Dunson had 15 kills in the victory while junior middle hitter Ashley McRae added 14 and Montini had 13. Gonzalez posted a double-double of 51 assists and a team-high 14 digs. Lauren Bewick also contributed 12 digs and Figueroa collected 11. Tulane out-blocked ECU 14.0 to 7.0 and held the upper hand in hitting percentage (.259-.190) but the Pirates were the better team on defense racking up 78 digs to the Green Wave's 56.
Up Next
East Carolina closes out the 2015 campaign next week against UConn and Temple.
