Gameday: ECU Opens November Hosting Tulsa And Wichita State

Matches 23-24: Tulsa and Wichita State
The Match	Nov. 2 vs. Tulsa \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Nov. 4 vs. Wichita State \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum \\\ Ticket Information
Information	2018 Fact Book \\\ 2018 Prospectus \\\ Match Notes
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #WeUp

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After playing six of its eight matches in October on the road, ECU opens the month of November hosting Tulsa and Wichita State in a pair of American Athletic Conference contests.

The Pirates encountered some tough luck last weekend, dropping a four-set decision to Tulane before seeing Memphis rally from a two-set deficit to hand ECU its second 3-2 loss of the season. Sophomore setter Shelby Martin posted the first triple-double in program history and the first by an American Conference player this season with 10 kills, 34 assists and 14 digs at Memphis.

Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Kleinman, who is averaging a team-best 2.86 kills per set in league matches, and sophomore right side Bri Wood have combined to post 350 of the Pirates' 972 kills while junior defensive specialist Maggie Hallow leads the squad with 326 total digs (4.18 per set).

ECU is 5-4 at home this season with wins over Eastern Washington, Gardner-Webb, N.C. Central, Houston and SMU.

Last Time Out
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – ECU capped its weekend of American Athletic Conference play with a five-set setback at Memphis. The Tigers won the match by scores of 24-26, 13-25, 25-16, 25-14 and 21-19. Shelby Martin recorded the first triple-double in program history with 10 kills, 14 digs and 34 assists and led four Pirate players in double-digit kills. Bri Wood notched 13 kills and 13 digs and Sydney Kleinman tallied 10 kills and 12 digs. Kelsea Bivens led Memphis with 33 kills. The Tigers out-hit ECU .233 to .169 and ended up with the advantage in digs (83-80). The Purple and Gold racked up 14 total blocks to Memphis' 7.5. ECU rolled to an 8-3 lead in the deciding fifth set but the match suffered through two long delays from there and the Tigers emerged from the confusion in the gym for the extra-point victory and the match.

About Tulsa
Tulsa defeated Temple in three sets and Connecticut in four last weekend at home to improve to 16-7 overall and 8-3 in American Athletic Conference play. The Golden Hurricane own third place alone - a match ahead of Tulane (7-4). Senior outside hitter Emily Thorson is tops on the team and sixth in the league with an average of 3.31 kills per set while junior libero Taylor Horsfall is second among conference players in digs per set (5.63). Tulsa has proven one of the best defensive squads not only in the AAC but nationally as it is holding opponents to a .177 hitting percentage and averaging a league-best 17.74 digs per set. The Golden Hurricane are slated to face Cincinnati Sunday in what could set up as a battle for second place in the conference standings depending on the outcome of Wichita State's match against the Bearcats Friday evening.

Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State, after winning the AAC regular season title with a 20-0 conference record in 2017, was picked to win the league again this season but finds itself sitting at 11-11 overall and 6-5 in AAC play - two games behind Tulsa for third place. The Shockers moved back above .500 in conference matches with a pair of 3-0 home victories over Connecticut and Temple last weekend. Senior outside hitter Tabitha Brown leads the team with 251 kills (2.85 per set) while sophomore libero Giorgia Civita is first in the league with an average of 5.72 digs per set. Wichita State is fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.208), kills per set (13.15) and assists per set (12.43). The Shockers are 1-4 on the road in AAC play with its lone win at USF and losses at Tulsa, UCF, SMU and Houston.

The Series: Tulsa
Tulsa defeated ECU 3-1 earlier this season at the Reynolds Center to improve to 18-2 in the all-time series. The Pirates are 2-6 against the Golden Hurricane in Greenville, winning a four-set decision last year inside Minges Coliseum to snap a 16-match losing streak in the series.

The Series: Wichita State
Wichita State swept a pair of matches from ECU last year and downed the Pirates in Kansas earlier this campaign to take a 3-0 lead in the all-time series.

Up Next
ECU visits Florida next weekend for AAC matches at USF and UCF.

Gameday: ECU Opens November Hosting Tulsa And Wichita State

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Players Mentioned

Maggie Hallow

Sydney Kleinman

Shelby Martin

Bri Wood

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