Gameday: East Carolina Closes 2016 Campaign At Cincinnati And Memphis

Matches 29-30: at Cincinnati/Memphis
Schedule	Nov. 23: at Cincinnati \\\ Noon \\\ Cincinnati, Ohio \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video Nov. 26: at Memphis \\\ 3 p.m. \\\ Memphis, Tenn. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video
Venue	Fifth-Third Arena \\\ Elma Roane Fieldhouse
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted \\\ #14Strong \\\ #PirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team puts the wraps on its 2016 season this week, heading to Cincinnati and Memphis for a pair of league matches. The Pirates battle the Bearcats Wednesday at 12 noon before taking on the Tigers Saturday at 3 p.m.

Coverage: Live stats and a live video stream of each match are available for fans to follow the action. Links can be accessed through the schedule page of www.ecupirates.com or in the informational box above.

ECU (15-13, 5-13 AAC) split its final two home matches last weekend, beating Houston 3-1 and falling to Tulane in four. The Pirates are assured of a non-losing season for the first time since 2006 and can record their first winning season since that same year with a victory in one of their last two matches.

Senior middle hitter Ashley McRae leads the conference in hitting percentage (.359) while senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez checks in fifth in assists per set (10.36). As a team, East Carolina ranks second in opposing hitting percentage (.182) and blocks per set (2.21).

Scouting Cincinnati: The Bearcats are currently in second place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 15-3 record, one game behind first-place SMU. AAC Preseason Player of the Year Jordan Thompson paces the offense with a 4.82 kills per set average while Abby Williams is putting up 3.50 digs per set. Cincinnati leads the series with ECU 10-1 and is 4-1 against the Pirates since East Carolina joined the AAC in 2014.

Last Meeting: Cincinnati 3, East Carolina 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-14) – Greenville, N.C. (10/5/16)

About Memphis: The Tigers (14-16, 6-12) currently reside one match ahead of ECU in the conference standings. Caitlin Lilly owns a team-best 3.75 kills per set average while Maddy Ruhlman is at 3.49 digs per set. Memphis leads the series with ECU 19-6 but the Pirates have won three of the last five meetings.

Last Meeting: East Carolina 3, Memphis 2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9) – Greenville, N.C. (10/7/16)

News and Notes

If ECU can win both matches this week, seven league victories would be the most for the Pirates as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
Head Coach Julie Torbett needs just seven more wins to reach 400 for her career.
East Carolina currently stands at 7-6 in true road contests and is 12-6 away from Greenville this season.
ECU's victory over Houston last weekend secured the first season sweep of an AAC opponent. The Pirates can do the same to Memphis Saturday.
Without the presence of a conference tournament, the American Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament goes to the regular season champion. That team is currently SMU who stands at 16-2 in the standings.

Gameday: East Carolina Closes 2016 Campaign At Cincinnati And Memphis

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Players Mentioned

Sabrina Gonzalez

Ashley McRae

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