Gameday: Pirates Take Unblemished Record To Buies Creek

Matches 6-8: Campbell Invitational
Dates	September 9-10, 2016
Tournament Schedule	Sept. 9: vs. South Carolina State \\\ 4:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 10: vs. Navy \\\ 1:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 10: at Campbell \\\ 5:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Live (Free)
Location	Buies Creek, N.C. (Gore Arena)
Social Media	@ECUVB \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted \\\ #ECUVB

Weekly Release No. 3 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Looking to make some history, The East Carolina volleyball team will take the short trip to Buies Creek this weekend for the Campbell Invitational. The Pirates open the event Friday at 4:30 p.m. against South Carolina State before taking on Navy and Campbell Saturday at 1:30 and 5:30 respectively.

Coverage: Live stats are available for all three of ECU's tournament matches while the Pirates' showdown with the Camels will be streamed live on the Big South Network.

The Pirates swept their last two matches at Savannah State and North Carolina A&T, improving to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in true road contests. In fact, four of ECU's five victories this season have come via the sweep.

With a win over South Carolina State in Friday's tournament opener, East Carolina can match the 2003 squad for the best start in program history at 6-0. Entering the weekend, ECU is one of just 26 NCAA Division I teams without a loss and one of two undefeated squads in the American Athletic Conference - USF (6-0) the other.

East Carolina is seeking its second tournament title of the season after winning the Bucknell Invitational.

Scouting South Carolina State: The Bulldogs are seeking their first victory of the 2016 campaign as they travel to Buies Creek with a 0-9 record. In its most recent match, SCSU was swept at home by Gardner-Webb by set scores of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17. Brianna Dafney paces the offensive efforts with a 3.07 kills per set average while the Bulldogs are putting up 6.69 kills, 6.10 assists, 1.00 aces, 10.10 digs and 0.79 blocks per set as well as a .045 hitting percentage. ECU is 1-1 against South Carolina State with the Pirates taking a 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-18) victory in the teams' last meeting in 2008.

Noting Navy: The Mids are off to a nice start this season, winning five of their first six matches and sweeping the UMES Classic last weekend with 3-0 wins over Rider, Norfolk State and the hosts. Dorothy Murray has proven to be the top offensive threat for Navy early in the year as she is averaging 2.88 kills per set. Collectively, the Mids average 12.65 kills, 12.15 assists, 1.80 aces, 16.00 digs and 2.45 blocks per set along with a .210 hitting percentage. East Carolina and Navy have split eight meetings historically and the Pirates are 3-1 against the Mids in neutral site contests.

About Campbell: Making their home debut this weekend, the Camels are 3-4 overall after going 2-2 at the San Francisco Invitational. Campbell defeated Columbia 3-0 and the host Dons 3-2 while dropping a 3-1 decision to Princeton and losing a five-set battle against Indiana. Senior Loni Kreun, a transfer outside hitter from Montana State, leads the Camels on the offensive end with an average of 2.41 kills per set. As a team, Campbell checks in with averages of 11.03 kills, 10.24 assists, 1.31 aces, 13.83 digs and 1.97 blocks per set and a .160 hitting percentage. The Pirates hold a healthy 33-9 edge in the series between the programs but the Camels won the last meeting in four sets in Buies Creek during the 2013 season and have captured the last three encounters.

Notes, Noshes and Nuggets

Head Coach Julie Torbett, in her fourth season with East Carolina, sits just 17 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 383 wins trail only Houston head coach Kaddie Platt's 563.
With a 5-0 start to the season, East Carolina is now 31-14 in non-conference matches since the start of the 2013 campaign.
Through matches of Sept. 6, ECU is ranked in the top 38 nationally in four statistical categories, including second in opposing hitting percentage. The Pirates also top the AAC in hitting percentage and blocks per set.
East Carolina has hit .258 or better in all of its matches while its opponents have yet to reach .200 themselves.
ECU has displayed an arsenal of offensive weapons this season as four lineup regulars are averaging at least 2.12 kills per set. Moreover, of those options, the lowest hitting mark stands at .264 while the highest is owned by Lael Ceriani who ranks fourth in the AAC with a .358 percentage. Ashley McRae, who is averaging 1.75 kills per set, leads the league with a .471 hitting percentage.
McRae is the program's current career leader in hitting percentage as she has compiled a .315 mark in three-plus seasons. Her .360 hitting percentage as a sophomore stands as the second highest in a single season in school history.
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.

UP NEXT: The Pirates close out their non-conference schedule Saturday, Sept. 17, with a pair of matches at the Georgia State Invitational. ECU takes on South Carolina State at 11 a.m. before matching up with the host Panthers at 4 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lael Ceriani

Ashley McRae

I'Tiana Taylor

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