Gameday: ECU Begins AAC Road Swing At Connecticut And Temple

Matches 15-16: at Connecticut and Temple
The Matches	Oct. 5 at Connecticut \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Oct. 7 at Temple \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venues	Gampel Pavilion \\\ McGonigle Hall
Information	2018 Fact Book \\\ 2018 Prospectus \\\ Match Notes
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #WeUp

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Armed with a three-match winning streak, ECU (10-4, 2-1 AAC) hits the road for the first time in American Athletic Conference play this season when it travels north to face Connecticut and Temple.

The Pirates most recently completed a weekend sweep of Houston and SMU in Greenville, downing both the Cougars and Mustangs in four sets.

Sophomore outside hitter Bri Wood paces a balanced ECU offense that is hitting .208 and averaging 12.70 kills per set. Wood is putting up 2.52 kills per set and is one of five players averaging at least 1.98. In the back row, junior defensive specialist Maggie Hallow ranks eighth in the AAC in digs per set at 4.19 while junior middle blocker Toya Osuegbu is averaging a team-best 0.85 blocks per set. The Pirates have proven to be one of the best defensive teams in the conference, ranking second in the league and 44th nationally in opposing hitting percentage (.165).

Early on in the conference standings, ECU is deadlocked with Connecticut, USF and Wichita State for fourth place. The Pirates finished in sole possession of fourth place in 2017 after they were selected 11th in the preseason coaches poll.

Last Time Out
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Powered by a career-high 18-kill performance out of sophomore outside hitter Sydney Kleinman, ECU capped off a phenomenal weekend of American Athletic Conference play Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 (25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 25-18) victory over perennial league power SMU inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates picked up their first win over the Mustangs since 2008 and the first since joining the American Conference. ECU was nothing short of spectacular on the offensive end, recording 55 kills in 125 attempts with just 14 errors – ending up with a .328 hitting percentage. SMU was pretty efficient as well, matching the Pirates with 55 kills but committed 20 errors for a .267 mark. The Mustangs finished with one more dig (49-48) while ECU racked up six blocks to SMU's 4.5. In addition to her 18 kills, Kleinman turned in a .394 hitting percentage as well as eight digs, two aces and a block. Sophomore outside hitter Bri Wood also reached double figures with 13 kills while adding eight digs, three blocks, two aces and a .344 hitting mark. Junior defensive specialist Maggie Hallow collected 14 digs in the back row. Additionally, sophomore setter Shelby Martin enjoyed a nice match with 46 assists, six kills and three digs. Brittany Adams paced the Mustangs with 15 kills while Hannah Jacobs was close behind with 13 of her own. Montana Watts led all players in the contest with 18 digs.

About Connecticut
Connecticut defeated Temple 3-1 in Philadelphia last Friday to improve to 10-6 overall and 2-1 in American Conference play. The Huskies also own a four-set road victory over Houston and a 3-1 loss at SMU. Freshman Caylee Parker leads the Connecticut offensive efforts with an average of 3.84 kills per set while Anna Petrova and Danielle Cabel check in at 2.56 and 2.21 kills per set respectively. Elizabeth Kline paces the Huskies' defense with an average of 4.13 digs per set. Connecticut ranks fourth in the league in both kills per set and assists per set while Parker is third in the conference in kills per set and setter Emma Turner is first in assists per set (10.13). The Huskies were selected 11th in the AAC preseason coaches poll.

Scouting Temple
Temple enters the weekend at 4-11 overall and 1-2 in AAC play after falling to Connecticut 3-1 at home last Friday. The Owls also own a five-set victory over Houston and a 3-0 loss at the hands of SMU. Dana Westfield and Katrina Papazoglou are averaging 2.49 and 2.42 kills per set to lead the Temple offense while Mia Heirakuji checks in with a squad-high 238 digs (4.03 per set). As a team, the Owls rank fourth in the league in digs per set (16.24). Temple was selected third in the AAC preseason coaches poll and garnered one first place vote.

The Series: Connecticut
ECU and Connecticut have met just seven times on the volleyball court and the Pirates have won four of those encounters. ECU defeated the Huskies 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-20) on the road last season in the teams' only matchup. The Pirates are 2-2 against Connecticut in Storrs.

The Series: Temple
ECU picked up its first win over Temple in eight tries last season, downing the Owls 3-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-19, 25-15) in Philadelphia. The Pirates are 1-3 against Temple in matches played at McGonigle Hall.

Up Next
ECU will travel next weekend for matches at defending AAC champion Wichita State (Oct. 12) and Tulsa (Oct. 14).

Gameday: ECU Begins AAC Road Swing At Connecticut And Temple

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Players Mentioned

Maggie Hallow

Sydney Kleinman

Shelby Martin

Toya Osuegbu

Bri Wood

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