Volleyball Opens Home Season with East Carolina Invitational
September 11, 2015 | Volleyball
| Matches 6-8: East Carolina Invitational | |
| Dates | Friday, Sept. 11 - Saturday, Sept. 12 |
| Times | ECU vs. Hampton - Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. ECU vs. Western Carolina - Sept. 12 at 12:30 p.m. ECU vs. William & Mary - Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| Coverage | Tournament Central (with live stats links) |
| @ECUScoreboard | |
The Matches
The East Carolina volleyball team plays its first home match of the 2015 season Friday, Sept. 11 when they host the East Carolina Invitational. The Pirates welcome Hampton, Western Carolina and William & Mary to Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum for the two-day tournament. The first match pits the Pirates of ECU against the Hampton Lady Pirates on Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. The following day, ECU will go up against Western Carolina at 12:30 p.m., before closing out the tournament against William & Mary at 7 p.m.
The Series vs. Hampton
East Carolina and Hampton will meet for the second time in as many weeks when the two teams go head-to-head Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. to open the tournament. ECU leads the all-time series 6-0 after sweeping the Lady Pirates at the Davidson Tournament a week ago. Prior to meeting on Sept. 5, East Carolina and Hampton had not met since 1998.
The Series vs. Western Carolina
The Pirates and the Catamounts will go up against each other for the seventh time in program history and for the first time since 1994. Western Carolina leads the all-time series, 4-2, however, in their last meeting, East Carolina came away with a five set victory at the Western Carolina Invitational. The Catamounts will be looking for their first win over the Pirates since 1987 when WCU held off ECU, 3-1, at the Charlotte Invitational.
The Series vs. William & Mary
ECU and William & Mary will face off for the 44th time in program history. The Tribe leads the all-time series 31-12. Despite their many meetings, Saturday's match-up will be the first between the two teams since 2007. In that contest, William & Mary earned a sweep over East Carolina t the Tribe Classic in Williamsburg, Va. The Pirates are looking for their first win over the Tribe since their 2006 four-set win at the East Carolina Invitational.
Last Time Out
Junior Ashley McRae and senior Kierra Lee-Dunson were named to the All-Tournament Team after turning in solid performances last weekend at the Davidson Tournament. However, East Carolina's (4-1) rally in the final match of the tournament was cut short as the Pirates dropped a 3-2 decision to Davidson (3-3). McRae finished the contest with a career-high 17 kills to go along with a .516 attack percentage. In addition to McRae's offensive output, Ashton Mares added 15 kills of her own, while freshman Haley Bidgood notched her first career double-digit kill effort with 12. Lee-Dunson's 10 kills rounded out the Pirate double-figure scorers in the match. Sabrina Gonzalez recorded her first double-double in purple and gold as she dished out career-best 57 assists and 13 digs. She also added four kills and two blocks while hitting a team-best .571. On defense, senior libero Erika Figueroa led the Pirates once again in the back row. Figueroa notched 27 digs to lead the squad and also received some help from sophomore defensive specialist Alex Jessett who added 15 digs of her own. Despite dropping the first two sets to Davidson on its home court, the Pirates refused to quit as they came back and claimed the third set 25-19. ECU would not go quietly as it opened the frame and took a 3-0 lead. The Wildcats fought back and the two teams traded leads a few times before East Carolina took the lead for good on a kill off the hands of Natalie Montini. ECU forced Davidson into utilizing both timeouts before the Pirates closed the set. East Carolina brought its momentum from the third set into the fourth game as the Pirates, again, took an early lead (8-4) that they would never relinquish. The Pirates hit .424 in the frame while knocking down 19 kills. Davidson kept the set close, but was unable to close the gap as ECU went on to win the set, 25-21, and force a fifth and final set. McRae wasted no time getting the Pirates on the board in the fifth set as she gave ECU a quick 1-0 lead. It was short-lived, however, as the two squads battled each other point for point and fought through five ties and three lead changes before the Wildcats took a 9-8 edge. East Carolina stayed within striking distance, but Davidson came away with the 15-12 win.
About the Pirates
East Carolina comes home to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum with a 4-1 record after opening the year 4-0 before dropping a five-set contest at Davidson. The Pirates are out-hitting their opponents .277 to .113, while owning the offensive edge in kills per set (12.8 to 9.2) and assists per set (12.0 to 8.8). East Carolina has been strong at the net as the Pirates have posted 33.0 total blocks to their opponents' 21.0. ECU has also notched 40 aces while their opponents have recorded 25. Sophomore Ashton Mares leads the Pirates with 61 kills on 171 attempts for a 3.21 kills per set average. Mares has been a threat on both offense and defense as she adds 40 digs (2.11 per set) to go along with six total blocks. Junior Ashley McRae has been steady on offense with a team-leading .398 attack percentage. She is averaging 2.79 kills per set, while adding 14 total blocks (0.74 per set), Junior Sabrina Gonzalez has been a constant at setter pacing the Pirates with 188 assists to average 9.89 per set. She also contributes 1.53 digs per set and 0.79 kills per set. Senior libero Erika Figueroa has been on point in the back row with 104 digs for a 5.47 average. She leads the Pirates defensively and is just 124 digs away from finding her way into the ECU record book.
Scouting the Lady Pirates
Hampton is still looking for its first win of the 2015 season after going 0-6 to open the year. The Lady Pirates were swept in all three matches at the Liberty Tournament and dropped a trip of three-set matches last weekend at the Davidson Tournament. Having not won a set yet, the Lady Pirates are hitting a mere .082 as they have struggled offensively to start the year. They are trailing their opponents in every offensive category and have tallied 233 digs (12.94 per set) to their counterparts' 242 (13.44 per set). Allysa Medina and Reeana Richardson lead Hampton with 52 and 47 kills, respectively. Medina is also tied for the lead in digs, along with Mallory Beard, as the duo have each posted 49. Richardson has notched six of the Lady Pirates' 15 service aces this year and she has also contributed 36 digs (2.00 per set) for third on the team. Brianna Lilly is Hampton's setter with 91 assists for an average of 7.00 per set, while adding 22 digs and three total blocks.
Scouting the Catamounts
Western Carolina comes into the East Carolina Invitational with a 3-5 record after going 1-4 last weekend at Maryland's tournament. The Catamounts are hitting .191 as a team and averaging 11.30 kills per set on 10.00 assists per set. The squad hold the edge in blocking with 1.98 blocks per set to their opponent's 1.33. Defensively, Western Carolina averages 14.77 digs per set. With the exception of blocks, the Catamounts are trailing their opponents in all statistical categories. Jo-Leigh Vervelde leads the Catamounts offensively with 85 kills for an average of 2.83 per set. She splits time at setter with Cristina Nazario as Vervelde has posted 125 assists (4.17 per set), while Nazario has dished out 141 helpers (4.70 per set). Defensively, Western Carolina is led by Elyssa Mulheron's 136 digs as she averages 4.53 per set.
Scouting the Tribe
William & Mary enters the East Carolina Invitational with a 3-4 record and the Tribe is coming off og a 3-0 sweep of Iona at the Tournament last weekend which was hosted by Army. The Tribe has collected victories over La Salle (3-0) and Norfolk State (3-1) this season. As a team, William & Mary is hitting .169 with 11.00 kills per set. The Tribe boasts 2.10 blocks per set, while holding their opponents to 1.67. Also on defense, William & Mary averages 14.40 digs per set. The trio of Dessi Koleva, Carolyn Albright and Mallory Brickerd lead the Tribe wiht 56, 53 and 51 kills. Koleva is also the Tribe's second leading defensive player with 103 digs (3.43 per set). Sara Zumbach leads the squad with 114 digs (3.80 per set). Katie Kemp and Gabrille Pe share setter duties as they duo have combined for 236 assists. Kemp is averaging 4.77 assists per set, while Pe averages 4.00.
Eyeing the Record Books
Senior libero Erika Figueroa has been stout on defense this season for the Pirates. The Orlando, Fla., native has accumulated 104 digs in five matches to average 5.47 per set. She has now amassed 877 digs during her four-year career in purple and gold and is just 124 digs shy of entering the East Carolina annals.
Offensive Output
Sophomore outside hitter Ashton Mares is currently leading the Pirates with 61 kills. She is the only Pirate who is averaging more than 3.00 kills per set with 3.21. Junior middle hitter Ashley McRae has also done a solid job contributing to the ECU offense as she leads the Pirates with a .398 attack percentage. McRae contributes 53 kills to average 2.79 kills per set for second on the team.
Setting the Tone
Junior Sabrina Gonzalez seems to be settling into the setter role nicely as the Elizabeth City, N.C., native has paced the offense with 188 assists to average 9.89 assists per set. The transfer from UNC Pembroke has been very consistent on the court and has contributed to more than 80-percent of ECU's assists. She has helped the Pirates average 12.00 helpers per set in five matches which has led to a .277 team hitting percentage by the offense.
Block Party
Kierra Lee-Dunson and Ashley McRae have been solid at the net for East Carolina as they have combined for 29 total blocks and have helped limit the opponents' hitting percentage to .113. Lee-Dunson has tallied 15 total blocks in five matches to average 0.79 blocks per set, while McRae is averaging 0.74 blocks per set. The pair have helped ECU post 33.0 total team blocks and average 1.74 blocks per game, while opponents are being held to 1.11 blocks per set.
Coming Up
Following the East Carolina Invitational, the Pirates head to Columbia, S.C. to participate in the South Carolina Invitational. ECU opens the tournament Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., against host, South Carolina, before facing Wofford and Charleston on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Live stats will be available on ECUPirates.com. Additionally, the Pirates-Gamecocks match will be streamed live on WatchESPN.
