Tulsa Rallies Past East Carolina, 3-1

Saturday, September 24

Tulsa, Okla.

1:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

10-2 (0-2AAC)

Tulsa

12-2 (1-1AAC)

East Carolina

Tulsa

September 24, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. – After winning the first set, East Carolina could not hold off Tulsa in the end as the Golden Hurricane rallied for a 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17) victory over the Pirates Saturday afternoon in an American Athletic Conference volleyball match inside the Reynolds Center.

Team Records: East Carolina 10-2, 0-2 AAC | Tulsa: 12-2, 1-1 AAC

Senior outside hitter I'Tiana Taylor led the ECU offense with 11 kills while senior outside Sydney Darden and junior middle Natalie Montini followed with nine apiece. Defensively, freshman libero Brandee Markwith notched a match-best 17 digs and Montini collected five blocks. Senior setter Sabrina Gonzalez finished with 39 assists and eight digs.

The Pirates hit just .115 as a team, hindered by 29 attacking errors, while Tulsa ended up at .190 thanks to 47 kills on 126 attempts. The Golden Hurricane won the overall defensive battle with 55 digs compared to East Carolina's 46 but ECU ended up with more total blocks (10.0-6.0).

Set One: East Carolina took the upper hand as the match began as a Tulsa attacking error afforded the Pirates a 10-7 advantage. The Golden Hurricane answered with three straight to tie the score before ECU returned the favor with a 3-0 run of its own. TU pulled within 14-13 to keep its hope alive, but three consecutive scores capped by a Taylor kill extended the East Carolina cushion to four points. The Golden Hurricane would not threaten again.

Set Two: The second stanza was all Tulsa early as the Golden Hurricane built a 9-2 edge. The home side grew its lead all the way to 15-6 and looked to cruise to the intermission with the set win. ECU made one last push, scoring nine of the next 13 points to draw within 19-15. However, the Pirates would notch just two more points the remainder of the stanza.

Set Three: East Carolina was forced to play catch up again in the third frame, falling behind 12-7. The Tulsa advantage grew all the way to 19-12 before the Pirates put together a rally. The Purple and Gold sliced the deficit to 20-15 on a Taylor kill before the Golden Hurricane closed the set on a 5-3 run.

Set Four: ECU got off to a solid start in the fourth frame, building a 15-12 lead following a Tulsa attacking error. The Pirates ran out of gas, however, and the Golden Hurricane ended the set on a 13-2 run to clinch the match.

Bits and Pieces: East Carolina falls to 5-2 in true road matches … Tulsa now leads the all-time series 15-1 … The Pirates produced their lowest hitting percentage of the season … ECU collected double-digit blocks for the second-straight match and sixth time this season.

Up Next: Following 12 matches away from Greenville to start the campaign, East Carolina makes its home debut Friday, Sept. 30, when it welcomes UCF to Minges Coliseum for a 5:30 p.m. first serve.