Gameday: ECU Closes Homestand Against Connecticut And Temple

Matches 25-26: Connecticut and Temple
The Matches	Nov. 1 vs. Connecticut \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free) Nov. 3 vs. Temple \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free)
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Information	2019 Fact Book \\\ 2019 Prospectus
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #GoPirates

Weekly Release No. 11

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina returns to American Athletic Conference play this weekend with a pair of home matches against Connecticut and Temple.

The Pirates (16-8, 3-7 AAC) closed non-conference action Tuesday evening with a four-set victory over N.C. Central in Durham, securing a winning season for the second time in three years.

ECU competed against the Huskies and Owls on the road earlier this season, defeating Connecticut 3-0 in Storrs after falling to Temple 3-1 in Philadelphia.

Junior Sydney Kleinman, who recorded a season-best 22 kills against NCCU, leads the Pirate offense with 305 kills (3.55 per set) while classmate Bri Wood is close behind with 302 kills (3.21 per set) and a .283 hitting percentage. Wood has tallied a double-double in five-straight contests. On the defensive side of things, redshirt junior Brandee Markwith has collected a squad-best 415 digs (4.41 per set) and senior Toya Osuegbu has registered a team-high 85 total blocks.

East Carolina enters the weekend with a 6-3 home record.

Scouting Connecticut
Connecticut arrives in Greenville with a 9-13 overall record and 3-7 AAC mark. The Huskies fell to Wichita State in four sets at home last Friday before pulling a 3-1 upset over visiting Tulsa Sunday. Caylee Parker paces the squad in a number of categories, including total kills (278), kills per set (3.56), total digs (209) and digs per set (2.68). Courtney Morris was selected to the most recent AAC weekly honor roll after finishing the weekend with a team-high 87 assists (10.88 assists per set). In conference play, Connecticut is hitting .163 while also averaging 11.62 kills, 11.24 assists, 0.72 aces, 16.31 digs and 2.10 blocks per set. The Huskies are tied with East Carolina for third place in the American Athletic Conference east division standings.

About Temple
After starting the season with a 9-0 record, Temple takes an 11-10 overall mark and 2-8 league ledger to Cincinnati for a Friday night showdown with the conference-leading Bearcats. The Owls lost to Tulsa in three last Friday in Philadelphia before rebounding to sweep Wichita State Sunday inside McGonigle Hall. Peyton Boyd and Gem Grimshaw are the statistical offensive leaders for Temple, both averaging 2.90 kills per set. Averi Salvador paced the conference in digs per set (6.50) last week to earn a spot on the AAC weekly honor roll. In league matches, the Owls sport a .200 hitting percentage while also averaging 12.97 kills, 12.38 assists, 0.91 aces, 16.18 digs and 1.46 blocks per set.

The Connecticut Series
East Carolina knocked off Connecticut in three sets earlier this season in Storrs to take a 6-3 lead in the series between the programs.

The Temple Series
Temple is 8-2 against ECU in 10 meetings, but the Pirates have won two of the last three encounters. East Carolina will look to avoid the season series sweep after dropping a four-set decision in Philadelphia back on Oct. 11.

Up Next
East Carolina takes its final road trip of the American Athletic Conference season next weekend when the Pirates visit UCF and USF.

Gameday: ECU Closes Homestand Against Connecticut And Temple

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

Brandee Markwith

Toya Osuegbu

Bri Wood

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