Gameday: East Carolina Kicks Off Road Swing Friday At Temple

Matches 18-19: at Temple and Connecticut
The Matches	Oct. 11 at Temple \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free) Oct. 13 at Connecticut \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free)
Venues	McGonigle Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.) \| Gampel Pavilion (Storrs, Conn.)
Information	2019 Fact Book \\\ 2019 Prospectus
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #GoPirates

Weekly Release No. 8

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team begins a stretch of four-straight contests on the road Friday night when it battles Temple at 7 p.m. inside McGonigle Hall in Philadelphia. The Pirates will also face off with the University of Connecticut in Storrs Sunday at Noon.

East Carolina (13-4, 1-3 AAC) faced a gauntlet of solid squads during its first four league contests, facing off with 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Cincinnati and UCF as well as 2018 NIVC participants Tulsa and USF. The Pirates got into the win column with an emphatic sweep of USF last Friday before falling to defending American Athletic Conference champion UCF in straight sets Sunday.

Junior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman was nearly unstoppable in the win, powering down 19 kills and hitting .586. She added seven kills and a .286 attacking percentage versus the Knights to land a spot on the American Conference Weekly Honor Roll.

Kleinman and junior right side Bri Wood share the team lead in total kills (196) and sport respective .283 and .306 hitting percentages while redshirt junior libero Brandee Markwith tops the squad in total digs (291). Collectively, East Carolina is averaging 13.22 kills, 11.95 assists, 1.38 aces, 15.33 digs and 1.86 blocks per set and is hitting .254. ECU ranks among the top four in the league in hitting percentage (third), kills per set (fourth), digs per set (fourth), assists per set (fourth) and aces per set (fourth).

A trio of Pirates are staking their claim to spots on the program's career top 10 lists in junior setter Shelby Martin, Markwith and senior middle blocker Toya Osuegbu. Martin ranks fifth with 2,344 assists, Markwith is third at 1,355 assists and Osuegbu sits eight blocks away from moving into 10th place.

Scouting Temple
Temple is searching for its first American Athletic Conference victory of the season Friday after falling to USF, UCF, Connecticut and Houston to begin its league schedule. The Owls are 9-6 overall and 3-2 at home. Katerina Papazoglou and Gem Grimshaw have handled a majority of the offensive load for Temple, averaging 3.07 and 3.02 kills per set. Averi Salvador leads the defensive charge out of the back row, putting up 5.00 digs per set (255 total) while Kayla Spells checks in with a 0.94 blocks per set average. In four conference matches, the Owls have produced 12.00 kills, 11.53 assists, 0.93 aces, 16.13 digs and 1.33 blocks per set with a .185 hitting percentage.

A Look At Connecticut
Connecticut is one match ahead of East Carolina in the AAC East Division standings, holding a 2-2 record in league matches as well as an 8-8 overall mark. The Huskies defeated Temple 3-1 in Philadelphia last Friday before getting swept by Tulane Sunday back in Storrs. Caylee Parker has been the top offensive performer for Connecticut thus far, sporting a 3.56 kills per set average (203 total). She also holds the top digs per set mark on the squad at 2.61 while Genna Florig is averaging 1.05 blocks per set. As a team in conference play, the Huskies are putting up 12.38 kills, 11.77 assists, 0.62 aces, 15.38 digs and 2.15 blocks per set with a .186 attacking percentage.

The Temple Series
After losing the first seven matches it played against Temple, East Carolina has turned the tables and defeated the Owls the last two times the teams have met. The last two encounters have occurred in Philadelphia, resulting in a pair of four-set wins for the Pirates.

The Connecticut Series
East Carolina holds a winning record versus Connecticut, taking five of eight in the all-time series. The Pirates have emerged victorious against the Huskies each of the last two seasons, both by a 3-1 margin in Storrs at Gampel Pavilion. ECU is 3-2 on the road when facing Connecticut.

Up Next
East Carolina hits the road once more next weekend for matches at Houston and Tulane.

Gameday: East Carolina Kicks Off Road Swing Friday At Temple

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

Brandee Markwith

Shelby Martin

Toya Osuegbu

Bri Wood

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