Gameday: ECU Opens Home Slate Hosting Pirate Invitational

Matches 8-10: Pirate Invitational
Schedule	Sept. 6: Charlotte vs. Gardner-Webb \\\ 4 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 6: Eastern Washington vs. ECU \\\ 7 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Sept. 7: Eastern Washington vs. Charlotte \\\ 9 a.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 7: Gardner-Webb vs. ECU \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Sept. 7: Gardner-Webb vs. Eastern Washington \\\ 4 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 7: Charlotte vs. ECU \\\ 7 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Information	2018 Fact Book \\\ 2018 Prospectus \\\ Match Notes \\\ Tournament Central
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #WeUp

GREENVILLE, N.C. – With some momentum on its side, ECU makes its 2018 home debut this weekend when it hosts Charlotte, Eastern Washington and Gardner-Webb for the Pirate Invitational. The teams will play six total matches over Thursday and Friday (Sept. 6-7) inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

ECU (5-2) has swept the last three opponents it has faced, picking up wins over USC Upstate, Tennessee Tech and N.C. Central. Freshman outside hitter Natalie Tyson leads five players who are averaging at least 2.04 kills per set with 2.75 while classmate and middle blocker S'mara Riley is hitting a team-best .291 while putting up 2.27 kills and 0.95 blocks per set. Junior defensive specialist Maggie Hallow checks in with an even 100 digs in 23 sets played for an average of 4.35 digs per set.

The Pirates look to do just as well at home as they did last season when they were 13-5, including a 7-2 mark in league play. ECU's last home match of 2017 resulted in a 3-0 victory over Cincinnati that cemented a solo fourth place finish in the AAC standings.

In two non-conference tournaments thus far this campaign, the Pirates have finished in second place with a 2-1 record at both the Southern Miss Classic and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle Invitational. ECU's last non-conference tournament title occurred at the Georgia State Invitational back in 2016.

Youth Abound
With just one senior on this year's roster, the Pirates are playing a good amount of underclassmen. Of the five players averaging at least two kills per set, four are either freshmen or sophomores. Rookie Natalie Tyson leads the squad in kills per set while sophomore Bri Wood is the team's leading scorer.

Calling Card
ECU prides itself on defense first and this year's team is no different. The Pirates lead the American Athletic Conference in digs per set as well as opposing hitting percentage.

About Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is off to a strong start to its season, winning five of its seven matches thus far. Last weekend, the Eagles fell to to North Dakota in three and lost a four-setter to Western Carolina before defeating Louisiana Tech twice - both times in four. Alexandra Espinosa is averaging a team-best 3.06 kills per set while Catelyn Linke paces the Eastern Washington defensive efforts with an average of 3.70 digs per set. As a team, the Eagles are putting up 12.07 kills, 11.04 assists, 1.48 aces, 17.93 digs and 1.67 blocks per set while also owning a .180 hitting percentage. Eastern Washington is under the direction of first-year head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud who spent four seasons at Drake as an assistant coach and the associate head coach before arriving in Cheney. The Eagles were 7-18 last season and were selected 11th in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches poll.

Scouting Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb is 3-3 overall this season with wins over Jackson State, Alabama A&M and N.C. Central as well as losses to Alabama State, Evansville and Elon. All of the Runnin' Bulldogs' matches have gone at least four sets. Kylee Garrison leads the Gardner-Webb offense with 2.68 kills per set while defensively, Charissa Coleman checks in with an average of 4.00 digs per set. Collectively, the Runnin' Bulldogs average 11.33 kills, 10.33 assists, 1.30 aces, 15.07 digs and 2.04 blocks per set to go along with a .160 hitting percentage. Leo Sayles is in his seventh season as the head coach at Gardner-Webb, officially taking over the reigns of the program in February of 2011. The Runnin Bulldogs posted a 7-22 overall record (1-15 Big South Conference) in 2017 and were selected 10th in this year's Big South preseason coaches poll.

Concerning Charlotte
Charlotte comes to Greenville with a 5-4 overall record after falling in four sets (13-25, 18-25, 25-23, 10-25) to South Carolina Tuesday evening. The 49ers also own victories over USC Upstate, Presbyterian, Bryant, Fordham and Marist. Reanna Richardson, a transfer from Hampton, has done a bulk of the offensive work for Charlotte, leading the team by a wide margin with an average of 3.68 kills per set. Yumi Garcia anchors the back row having collected 235 digs (6.35 per set) while Tyra Galloway has been a presence at the net averaging 1.25 blocks per set. The 49ers as a unit are averaging 11.86 kills, 11.19 assists, 1.27 aces, 15.86 digs and 2.51 blocks per set with a .230 hitting percentage. Karen Weatherington is in her fourth season as head coach at Charlotte. The 49ers were 19-12 last season (6-8 Conference USA) and were selected seventh in this year's C-USA preseason coaches poll.

The Series: Eastern Washington
Thursday evening's encounter with Eastern Washington will be the first between the programs. In fact, it will be ECU's first-ever match against a current member of the Big Sky Conference.

The Series: Gardner-Webb
ECU is 3-1 against Gardner-Webb, but will look to avenge a five-set loss to the Runnin' Bulldogs in last year's Pirate Invitational. The teams have split a pair of matchups in Greenville.

The Series: Charlotte
ECU is 10-17 against former Conference USA rival Charlotte and has lost the last four consecutive matchups in the series. The Pirates own a 5-6 record in matches played in Greenville. ECU's last victory over Charlotte was a 3-1 decision at home back on Nov. 15, 2005.

ECU At-A-Glance
Record - 5-2 (.714) // AAC Record - 0-0 (.000) // Last 5 Matches - 3-2 (.600) // Last 10 Matches - 0-0 (.000) // Last 15 Matches - 0-0 (.000) // ECU will play the 165th match of the Julie Torbett era when it hosts Eastern Washington Thursday // The Pirates' all-time record stands at 504-782 in the program's 42nd season of competition.

Up Next
The Pirates head to Williamsburg, Va. next weekend (Sept. 14-15) for the Colonial Classic where they will take on Morgan State, Lehigh and host William and Mary.

Gameday: ECU Opens Home Slate Hosting Pirate Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Maggie Hallow

S'mara Riley

Natalie Tyson

Bri Wood

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