ECU Caps Pirate Invitational With Split

Friday, September 7

Greenville, N.C.

Noon

East Carolina University

7-2

Gardner-Webb

3-5

Gardner-Webb

ECU

Photo by: Rob Goldberg

September 07, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Gardner-Webb Box Score (PDF)Charlotte Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After downing Gardner-Webb 3-0 for its fifth-straight victory Friday afternoon, ECU could not pull off the doubleheader sweep as it fell to Charlotte in three sets in the tournament finale inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

The 49ers won the tourney on a set percentage tiebreaker while the Pirates finished as runner up. Eastern Washington took third place and Gardner-Webb was fourth.

ECU 3, Gardner-Webb 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-19)
For the second-straight match, ECU held a significant advantage in the hitting department as it recorded its fifth-straight sweep.

The Pirates fired at a .255 clip as compared to Gardner-Webb's .049 mark. ECU also out-dug the Runnin' Bulldogs 45-34 and out-blocked them 7.0 to 6.0.

Freshman outside hitter Natalie Tyson was the only player in the match to reach double digit kills as she put down 10 on 24 attempts with just one error for a .375 hitting percentage. Junior defensive specialist Maggie Hallow collected a match-best 14 digs while middle blockers Toya Osuegbu and S'mara Riley ended up with three blocks. Additionally, sophomore setter Shelby Martin distributed 27 assists with seven digs and four kills as well as a block. Hannah Lancaster paced GWU with seven kills.

Gardner-Webb rung up a 3-0 advantage to start the match before the Pirates knotted up the score at seven following a service error by Hannah Lancaster. Consecutive kills by sophomore outside hitter Bri Wood and Tyson later gave ECU a 12-9 cushion and forced a GWU timeout. It would be all Pirates from there as they extended the lead to 19-12 before ending the frame on a 6-2 run.

Similar to the first stanza, a Tyson kill afforded the Purple and Gold a 12-9 edge and prompted a Gardner-Webb timeout. The Runnin' Bulldogs never found their footing as ECU rolled to the 10-point margin of victory and a 2-0 match lead.

Gardner-Webb looked to be on its way to forcing a fourth set when it raced out to a 15-10 advantage, but three-straight Pirate points forced a visitor timeout. With the Runnin' Bulldogs ahead 17-13, ECU ripped off a 10-0 run to seize control for the final time. A kill by Osuegbu sealed the sweep a couple of points later.

Charlotte 3, ECU 0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-23)
The Pirates struggled throughout the nightcap to get their offense going in falling at home for the first time this season.

ECU hit just .019 while Charlotte ended up at .231 in the three sets. The 49ers also racked up 13 total blocks and enjoyed a 45-42 advantage in digs.

Tyson led the way once again on offense with 10 kills while Hallow recorded 13 digs. Tournament MVP Reanna Richardson paced all players with 13 kills to go along with five digs.
It was a good start for the Pirates as they took a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, Charlotte would score nine of the next 12 points to assume a 10-7 cushion. ECU would rally to tie the score at 13 after a bad set was called on Nya Steele. However, the Pirates fell behind 21-16 later in the stanza and could not recover.

The 49ers ran away with the second frame, turning a 9-5 lead into a 19-6 advantage before finishing it off on a Richardson kill.

The third set was much more competitive as the teams settled for a tie score at 14. Richardson gave Charlotte the lead back with a kill, but an attacking error knotted the score at 20. A trio of ECU errors put the 49ers on the verge of the sweep and Charlotte would finish the job with a Richardson kill to win the frame by two.

The Pirates will return to action next weekend at the Colonial Classic hosted by William and Mary. ECU and Morgan State will open the tournament Friday at 3:30 p.m.

All-Tournament Team
Reanna Richardson - Charlotte (MVP)
Jocelyn Stoner - Charlotte
Yumi Garcia - Charlotte
Natalie Tyson - ECU
Maggie Hallow - ECU
Kamille Langford - Eastern Washington
Amanda Sahm - Gardner-Webb