Gameday: East Carolina Opens Second Half of AAC Slate in Florida

Matches 21-22: at USF and UCF
Schedule	Oct. 27: at USF \\\ 7 p.m. \\\ Tampa, Fla. \\\ Live Stats Oct. 29: at UCF \\\ 1 p.m. \\\ Orlando, Fla. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video
Venue	The Corrall \\\ The Venue
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted \\\ #14Strong \\\ #PirateNation

Weekly Release No. 10 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Having won four of its last five American Athletic Conference matches, East Carolina heads to Florida for a pair of contests against USF and UCF. The Pirates and Bulls will face off Thursday in Tampa before ECU battles the Knights Saturday in Orlando.

Coverage: Live stats are available for both matches while East Carolina's match at UCF features a live video stream that can be accessed for a small fee.

The Pirates check in at 14-6 overall and 4-6 in AAC play entering the road swing, having split a pair of home matches last weekend. ECU fell in four sets to Temple Friday before rebounding to post a 3-2 victory over UConn in Sunday's "Dig Pink" match.

East Carolina's middle hitters enjoyed a productive weekend as senior Ashley McRae averaged 3.22 kills per set and hit .462 while junior Natalie Montini averaged 1.44 blocks per set including four total blocks in the fifth set of the win over the Huskies.

In the league's statistical rankings, ECU is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.154) and blocks per set (2.42). The Pirates recorded 16 total blocks in the win over UConn to help boost that number. Additionally, on a national scale, East Carolina checks in 15th in opposing hitting percentage.

Individually, McRae is second in blocks per set and fourth in hitting percentage while senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez, who leads the AAC with 13 double-doubles, ranks fourth in assists per set (10.34). Gonzalez has recorded a double-double in four-straight matches and five of her last six.

About USF: The Bulls (15-7, 6-4 AAC) are in the midst of a five-match homestand during which they have defeated Tulsa in four sets and lost to SMU by the same 3-1 margin. Dakota Hampton owns a team-high 246 kills (3.15 per set) while Amy Van Sant anchors the back row with a 4.13 digs per set average. Collectively, USF is hitting .237 while boasting a 16.95 digs per set average that is third in the league. The Bulls lead the series with the Pirates 7-2 and have won every meeting in Tampa since a 3-2 East Carolina victory in 2004.

Last Meeting: USF 3, East Carolina 0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-18) – Oct. 2 at Greenville, N.C.

Scouting UCF: The Knights (17-6, 7-3 AAC) split a pair of home matches last weekend, sweeping Tulsa before falling to league leader SMU in three sets. Jale Hervey has carried most of the offensive load as she averages an AAC third-best 4.18 kills per set. Defensively, Jordan Pingel ranks third in the league with an average of 4.47 digs per set. UCF leads the series with ECU 13-9 after winning the first meeting this season in four sets in Greenville.

Last Meeting: UCF 3, East Carolina 1 (25-22, 22-25, 32-30, 25-12) – Sept. 30 at Greenville, N.C.

News and Notes

In her last four matches, McRae has come alive offensively, averaging 3.44 kills per set and hitting .490. She has been named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll two-straight weeks as a result.
The Pirates have run a very balanced offense this season as four members of the team are averaging 2.00 or more kills per set. McRae is close behind the quartet at 1.96 per set.
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.
ECU's .348 hitting percentage in the victory at Houston was the highest ever for the Pirates in an AAC match.
After finishing ninth in the league in blocks per set in 2015, the Pirates lead the conference in overall matches with a 2.42 average. In AAC matches, ECU is first with an average of 2.46 per set. Junior middle hitter Natalie Montini ranks second in the conference in league matches, boasting a 1.21 mark.
East Carolina needs just two 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.
McRae is the program's current career leader in hitting percentage as she has compiled a .317 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 six blocks to take over seventh on the program career list.
Head Coach Julie Torbett, in her fourth season with East Carolina, is just eight 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 392 wins trail only Houston head coach Kaddie Platt.

Up Next: The Pirates return home next weekend for matches against Tulsa (Friday) and SMU (Sunday).

Gameday: East Carolina Opens Second Half of AAC Slate in Florida

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Players Mentioned

Sabrina Gonzalez

Ashley McRae

Natalie Montini

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Gameday: East Carolina Opens Second Half of AAC Slate in Florida

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sabrina Gonzalez

Ashley McRae

Natalie Montini

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