Gameday: ECU Hosts Temple And UConn Looking To Extend Winning Streak

Matches 19-20: Temple/UConn
Schedule	Oct. 21: Temple \\\ 7 p.m. \\\ Greenville, N.C. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video Oct. 23: UConn \\\ 1 p.m. \\\ Greenville, N.C. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video
Venue	Minges Coliseum
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted \\\ #14Strong \\\ #PirateNation

Weekly Release No. 9 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball wraps up the first half of its American Athletic Conference schedule this weekend, hosting Temple and UConn Friday and Sunday at Minges Coliseum.

Coverage: Live stats and a free live video stream are accessible for fans for both matches. Links can be found on the volleyball schedule page of www.ecupirates.com while they are also listed at the top of the page.

Weekend Promotions
Friday:

International Students Night
Pitt County School District Staff Appreciation – PCSD faculty and staff are invited to attend the match and receive admission for just $2. Tickets can be pre-purchased online using the promo code "PCSD" or by using a staff ID at Minges Coliseum.

Sunday:

Dig Pink – fans are encouraged to wear pink and receive admission for $2. All survivors and their caregiver receive free admission to the match. Survivors are invited to help form the intermission team tunnel. First 250 fans receive a pink rally towel and the first 100 will get a pink pom-pom.

The Pirates have won three straight, including a 3-1 win at Tulane and a 3-0 victory at Houston last week. Having been selected to finish last in the preseason coaches poll, ECU (13-5, 3-5) sits just two matches back of fourth place entering the weekend set.

East Carolina has proven to be a strong defensive team this season, pacing all conference teams in opposing hitting percentage (.147) and blocks per set (2.35) while ranking fifth in the league in digs per set (16.05). Nationally, the Pirates are eighth in opposing hitting percentage.

Senior middle hitter Ashley McRae was sensational offensively in the matches at Tulane and Houston, averaging 3.71 kills per set and hitting .523 on the way to AAC Weekly Honor Roll recognition. She tallied 15 kills against the Green Wave before hitting .667 in the sweep of the Cougars. As a team, ECU hit .348 against Houston – its highest hitting percentage ever in an American Athletic Conference match.

Talking Temple: The Owls (12-6, 5-3 AAC) dropped both of their matches last weekend, falling to USF 3-0 and UCF 3-2 at home in Philadelphia. Junior Irem Asci leads the Temple offense, racking up 4.21 kills per set, ranking her second in the conference and 22nd in the nation. The Owls are led defensively by sophomore Mia Heirakuji who averages 3.40 digs per set. As a team, Temple ranks second in the American in aces per set (1.42), and third in kills (13.48), assists (12.62), and blocks (2.18) per set. The Owls have won all four meetings with East Carolina since the Pirates joined the AAC.

About UConn: Like Temple, the Huskies (13-6, 4-4 AAC) played host to USF and UCF last weekend and dropped both matches. UConn was swept by the Knights Friday before losing in five to the Bulls Sunday. Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams leads the Huskies on offense, averaging 3.51 kills per set, while junior Kenya Cason paces the defensive efforts with an average of 2.76 digs per set. UConn runs an efficient offense, ranking fourth in the nation in kills per set (14.58) while also checking in at sixth in assists per set (13.62). The Pirates and Huskies split a pair of five-set matches last season with each team winning on its home floor. The brief series between the programs is tied at two wins apiece.

News and Notes

East Carolina's 3-0 victory at Houston marked the team's first ever sweep of an American Athletic Conference team on the road and just the third for ECU since joining the league prior to the 2014 season. Coupled with a four-set win at Tulane, the Pirates swept an AAC weekend away from home for the first time ever.
East Carolina benefitted from the steady play of senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez last week as she averaged 12.71 assists and 3.43 digs per set. She also leads the team and conference with 11 double-doubles, having recorded one in three of the last four matches.
After finishing ninth in the league in blocks per set in 2015, the Pirates lead the conference in overall matches with a 2.35 average. In AAC matches, ECU is tied with SMU for first with an average of 2.33 per set. Junior middle hitter Natalie Montini ranks fourth in the conference in league matches, boasting a 1.13 mark.
East Carolina needs just three more victories this season to ensure its first winning record since the 2006 squad finished with a 19-12 mark. If the Pirates reach six wins in conference play, that total will represent the most for ECU since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014 season.
In ECU's victory at Campbell, it recorded 109 digs - a mark which stands as the second highest in a match in school history.
McRae is the program's current career leader in hitting percentage as she has compiled a .312 mark in three-plus seasons. Her .360 hitting percentage as a sophomore stands as the second highest in a single season in school history. She also needs just 10 blocks to tie for eighth on the program career list.
Head Coach Julie Torbett, in her fourth season with East Carolina, is just nine wins away from her 400 for her career. She left Winthrop after the 2012 campaign as the winningest coach in Big South Conference history. In terms of the AAC, Torbett owns the second-most career victories among the league's current head coaches. Her 388 wins trail only Houston head coach Kaddie Platt.

Up Next: Following its weekend at home, East Carolina returns to the court Thursday, Oct. 27, with a match against USF at The Corrall in Tampa, Fla.

Gameday: ECU Hosts Temple And UConn Looking To Extend Winning Streak

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Players Mentioned

Sabrina Gonzalez

Ashley McRae

Natalie Montini

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Gameday: ECU Hosts Temple And UConn Looking To Extend Winning Streak

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sabrina Gonzalez

Ashley McRae

Natalie Montini

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