ECU Moves To 10-0 With Four-Set Victory At Georgia State

Saturday, September 17

Atlanta, GA

4:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

10-0

Georgia State

4-7

East Carolina

Georgia State

ECU Moves To 10-0 With Four-Set Victory At Georgia State

September 17, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

ATLANTA, Ga. – East Carolina and Georgia State split the first two sets of their match Saturday evening before the Pirates won the final two to record a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24) road victory over the Panthers in the championship match of the Georgia State Invitational inside the GSU Sports Arena in downtown Atlanta.

ECU completes its non-conference schedule unblemished and with the program's longest winning streak ever intact. The Pirates will head into American Athletic Conference play as one of five undefeated teams in the nation (NCAA Division I).

Junior outside hitter Lael Ceriani was tabbed the MVP of the event while junior middle hitter Natalie Montini and senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

Team Records: East Carolina: 10-0 | Georgia State: 4-7

Torbett's Take: "I am really proud of our efforts throughout the entire non-conference schedule. This program has really taken a big step in the right direction. We know that conference play presents a whole set of new challenges, but we are ready to face them head on. We will work on some things this week before heading out to Dallas to face a very strong SMU team that won our league last year."

Senior outside hitter Sydney Darden paced the East Carolina offense with 13 kills in the match while Ceriani checked in with 12 kills of her own and a .276 hitting percentage. Gonzalez turned in another solid all-around match and notched her sixth double-double of the campaign with 46 assists, 10 digs and a pair of kills. Senior middle Ashley McRae contributed four total blocks defensively to complement 14 and 12-dig performances by junior outside hitter Ashton Mares and freshman libero Brandee Markwith.

For the first time this season, the Pirates finished with a lower hitting percentage than its opponent as the Panthers won that battle .235 to .211. ECU owned the advantage in digs (63-58) while the sides finished even in total blocks with six apiece.

Set One: Gonzalez put down an ace to put the Pirates in front 2-0 early but Georgia State scored three of the next four points to pull even. The teams battled to a tie at 10 before a GSU bad set sparked a 3-0 East Carolina run that forced the Panthers to call for time. An attacking error by Eliza Zachary extended the Purple and Gold lead to 16-12. Georgia State failed to draw within less than two points the rest of the frame and ECU closed it out with a block by Montini and Darden.

Set Two: The Panthers jumped out to an 8-5 lead to begin the second stanza but two kills by senior outside I'Tiana Taylor and a block would deadlock the score. East Carolina edged in front 14-13 thanks s to a Ceriani kill, prompting Georgia State to signal for a timeout. The home team recovered and worked itself into the lead at 19-17. Following a Pirate timeout, a kill by Zachary helped stretch the Panther cushion to 22-17. The Purple and Gold attempted a comeback and sliced the deficit to 22-21, but Georgia State wrested away three of the final four points to cement the three-point margin of victory.

Set Three: A McRae attacking error afforded the Panthers a 9-6 lead to begin the third frame. However, a Ceriani kill pulled the teams even at 10. ECU started to assert itself and forced Georgia State into a number of offensive miscues on the way to an 18-14 edge. The Pirates built the advantage to five at 21-16 before closing out the set by four points.

Set Four: It was all East Carolina to start the fourth stanza as the Purple and Gold raced out to a 13-7 lead. The Panthers would have to burn their second timeout two points later when a Darden kill made the score 15-7. ECU began to inch toward the match victory when a Ceriani kill put the Pirates in front 23-17. However, trailing 24-20, Georgia State fought off all four set points and drew even at 24 on a Zachary ace. The Pirates had the last word, using a Taylor kill and Panther attacking error to end the affair.

Bits and Pieces: ECU improved to 5-0 in true road matches … East Carolina now owns not only the best start to a season in program history, but also the longest overall winning streak at 10 straight victories … The Pirates finished their non-conference slate unbeaten for the first time ever … The non-league tournament title marked the third for ECU this season and the sixth of head coach Julie Torbett's tenure … East Carolina is now 3-4 in the series with Georgia State … Torbett needs just 12 more victories to reach 400 for her career … The Purple and Gold can record the first winning season for the program since 2006 with six triumphs in AAC play.

Up Next: ECU begins its American Athletic Conference slate Thursday, Sept. 22, with a match against defending league champion SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. First serve is set for 8 p.m.