Gameday: East Carolina Opens AAC Slate At SMU And Tulsa

Matches 11-12: at SMU and Tulsa
Schedule	Sept. 22: at SMU \\\ 8:00 p.m. \\\ Dallas, Texas \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video Sept. 24: at Tulsa \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Tulsa, Okla. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video
Venues	Moody Coliseum (SMU) \\\ Reynolds Center (Tulsa)
Social Media	@ECUVB \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted \\\ #ECUVB

Weekly Release No. 5 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Equipped with a 10-0 record and the longest winning streak in program history, the East Carolina volleyball team begins its American Athletic Conference schedule with a pair of matches at SMU and Tulsa.

The Pirates will take on the Mustangs Thursday night at 8 p.m. in Dallas before ending the weekend with a 1 p.m. first serve at Tulsa Saturday.

Coverage: Live stats and a video stream are available for both matches.

East Carolina ran its winning streak to 10 matches with a pair of victories Saturday at the Georgia State Invitational. The Pirates downed South Carolina State 3-0 before besting the host Panthers 3-1 to cap the day. Junior outside hitter Lael Ceriani was named the MVP of the tournament after averaging 3.20 kills per set and firing at a .353 clip. Senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez and junior middle Natalie Montini were also tabbed to the All-Tournament Team.

ECU leads the American Athletic Conference and the nation in opposing hitting percentage, holding its foes to just a .086 mark offensively. The Pirates also pace the league and are 15th nationally in aces per set (1.83).

Senior middle hitter Ashley McRae, who is the program's career leader in hitting percentage, is first in the AAC in hitting percentage (.417) and blocks per set (1.31). Gonzalez ranks fourth in the league in assists per set (10.34).

Scouting SMU: The defending league champion Mustangs enter conference play with a 7-5 record, including a 3-1 win against TCU on the last weekend of non-conference matches. Morgan Heise anchors the team's defense, averaging 5.44 digs per set, ninth in the NCAA and second in the conference, and Janelle Giordano is second in the league with 52 blocks, averaging 1.27 per set. Katie Hegarty leads the offense with 166 kills and is fourth in The American with 4.05 per set. SMU ended non-conference play holding opponents to a .160 attack percentage, ranking 37th in the NCAA.

About Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane have won nine straight heading into AAC action and hold the league's second best overall record at 11-1. Tulsa's defense has been stout, leading the nation in digs per set (19.35) while raking 13th in opposing hitting percentage (.138). Senior libero Brooke Berryhill is the reigning American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week and leads the circuit in digs per set with a 5.48 average. Erica Bohannon and Rebecca Reeve are putting up 3.78 and 3.00 kills per set to pace the offensive efforts.

News and Notes

With a 10-0 start to the season, East Carolina is now 36-14 in non-conference matches under head coach Julie Torbett.
As of Sept. 20, ECU is one of just five NCAA Division I programs that has yet to suffer a loss in 2016.
In all but one match this season, East Carolina has recorded more kills, digs and blocks than its opponent as well as ending up with a better hitting percentage. ECU has only hit less than .200 in one contest.
In East Carolina's victory at Campbell, it recorded 109 digs - a mark which stands as the second highest in a match in school history. Freshman Brandee Markwith notched a career-high 32 digs during the evening and is just the second player in the American Athletic Conference to surpass 30 digs in a match this season.
A key to the Pirates' success this season has been steady play from the setter position. Senior Sabrina Gonzalez ranks fourth in the AAC in assists per set while also averaging 3.17 digs per set and hitting .433 with 30 kills in 60 attempts.
Senior I'Tiana Taylor had a match to remember against Savannah State, putting down 13 kills on 16 attempts with just one error to end up with a .750 hitting percentage. That mark is the third highest in the American Athletic Conference this season and tied for the second best in a single match in program history.
Head Coach Julie Torbett, in her fourth season with East Carolina, is just 12 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.
The Pirates captured their sixth non-conference tournament title of Torbett's tenure at the Georgia State Invitational and have won at least one such event every year since 2013.

Up Next: After 12-straight matches on the road to open the season, East Carolina begins its home schedule Friday, Sept. 30 when it welcomes UCF to Minges Coliseum for a 5:30 p.m. first serve.

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Players Mentioned

Lael Ceriani

Sabrina Gonzalez

Brandee Markwith

Ashley McRae

Natalie Montini

I'Tiana Taylor

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