ECU Falters At Tulane, 3-1

Friday, October 26

New Orleans, La.

8:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

13-9, 4-6American

Tulane

18-7, 5-5American

ECU

Tulane

Photo by: Rob Goldberg

October 26, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS, La. – ECU had trouble finding its footing to begin each set Friday as Tulane captured a 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22) American Athletic Conference victory inside Fogelman Arena.

Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Kleinman led the way for the Pirates with 15 kills and 11 digs while Erika Hansel paced the Green Wave with 15 kills.

Both squads hit under .200 with Tulane ending up at .197 and ECU at .157. The Green Wave held the advantage in digs 63-59 while the Pirates out-blocked the home team 12.5 to 10.

Tulane excelled in serve receive to begin the contest, racking up five service aces on the way to a 16-10 advantage. Following a Pirate timeout, ECU drew within 19-14 after a Kleinman kill, but the Green Wave were able to close the frame out with a kill. It marked the seventh-straight match the Purple and Gold have dropped the opener.

The home side threatened to run away with the second set as well, leading 14-10 after its eighth ace of the evening. The Pirates rallied within one, however, after a Brianna Hudson ace made it 17-16. ECU kept pushing and eventually edged in front 23-21, prompting a Tulane timeout. The Green Wave answered with two-straight scores to force extra points, but a Pirate block and a Tulane attacking error allowed ECU to hang on 26-24 and tie the match at intermission.

The Green Wave started out hot to begin the third, racking up an 8-1 advantage, but five-straight Pirate points cut the deficit to a pair and prompted a Tulane timeout. Aided by ECU errors down the stretch, the Green Wave turned an 18-17 deficit into a 24-21 cushion as the Pirates burned a timeout. ECU staved off one set point, but Tulane notched a kill on the next rally to take the stanza by three and grab a 2-1 match lead.

It was another quick beginning for Tulane in fourth frame as the Green Wave jumped out to an 8-2 lead. The Pirates chipped away and eventually assumed a 17-16 edge after a block, but Tulane scored three in a row to take back the upper hand. The Green Wave prevailed in the end, finishing off the match with a block.

ECU closes out the weekend Sunday with an American Athletic Conference matchup at Memphis. First serve inside the Elma Roane Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. ET