East Carolina Falls To USF In Three Sets

Sunday, October 2

Greenville, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

10-4, 0-4AAC

USF

11-5, 2-2AAC

USF

East Carolina

October 02, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – USF used an efficient offensive performance to record a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-18) American Athletic Conference victory over East Carolina Sunday inside Minges Coliseum.

Team Records: East Carolina 10-4, 0-4 AAC | USF: 11-5, 2-2 AAC

Torbett's Take: "Today's performance was completely unacceptable. With the growth this program has made, we should expect to win on our home floor. USF's middles did a nice job and really helped them run a fast offense. I do want to give credit to Natalie Montini who had a solid performance and consistently brings energy on the court. I thought I'Tiana Taylor also played pretty well."

Montini led the Pirate offense with 12 kills and a .429 hitting percentage as she made just three errors in 12 attempts. Taylor followed with 11 kills while senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez recorded 33 assists and nine digs. Freshman libero Brandee Markwith led all players in the match with 16 digs. Clara Payne notched 14 kills and a .737 hitting percentage for the Bulls.

USF tallied 43 kills and hit .291 after committing just 11 errors in 110 attempts. ECU was limited to .137 hitting on 37 kills and 21 errors in 117 attempts. The Bulls also held the upper hand in digs (50-44) and total blocks (6.0-4.0).

Set One: It was a quick start to the match as neither side built a lead of more than two points. With the score tied at 15, an attacking error and ball handling error on the USF side afforded the Pirates a two-point edge. However, the Bulls scored three of the next four to pull even at 18 before using a 4-0 run to put the set away.

Set Two: East Carolina was forced to call timeout in the second frame as USF jumped out to a 9-3 advantage. A kill by senior outside hitter Sydney Darden drew the Pirates to within 11-6, but the Bulls used a ECU attacking error to spark a 5-0 run that gave them a 10-point lead. That would be enough for the visitors as they clinched the stanza by 11 and entered the intermission up two sets to none.

Set Three: A block put USF into the lead at 6-2 to begin the third set and a Pirate attacking error helped stretch that advantage to 10-4. Down 14-8 later in the proceedings, a Montini kill kickstarted a 4-0 run that pulled East Carolina within two and sent the Bulls scrambling for a timeout. ECU kept it as close as 19-17 down the stretch, but USF was able to hold off the charging Pirates in the end by scoring seven of the last eight points.

Bits and Pieces: ECU fell to 0-2 at home while USF improved to 2-3 in road matches ... The Bulls improved to 7-2 in the series with the Pirates ... East Carolina was held under double digits in total blocks for the first time in conference play ... Markwith has recorded the most digs of any player in each of the Pirates' first four AAC matches ... After opening the season with 12-straight contests on the road, ECU is in the midst of a four-match homestand that continues into next week.

Up Next: East Carolina will play its third-straight home match Wednesday night, welcoming AAC preseason favorite Cincinnati to Minges Coliseum for a 7 p.m. first serve.