Gameday: East Carolina Visits George Mason To Inaugurate 2019 Season

Matches 1-2: George Mason and Providence
The Matches	Sept. 1 at George Mason \\\ 11:00 a.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 1 vs. Providence \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats
Venue	Recreation Athletic Complex (Fairfax, Va.)
Information	2019 Fact Book \\\ 2019 Prospectus
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #GoPirates

Weekly Release No. 1

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team heads north up I-95 to George Mason University this weekend to begin its 2019 campaign with a pair of matches against the host Patriots and Providence.

The Pirates were scheduled to open the new season at the Puerto Rico Clásico but potential impacts of Hurricane Dorian led to the tournament's cancellation.

East Carolina returns a bevy of experience to the 2019 roster, retaining all but one starter. Setter Shelby Martin was named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team and enters the year with 1,920 career assists – ninth in program history. She has earned second-team all-league honors each of her two collegiate seasons. The Pirates also welcome back the school's single-match and single-season digs record holder in libero Brandee Markwith who missed the entirety of 2018 due to injury. Outside hitter Sydney Kleinman and right side Bri Wood were the top scorers for the squad last year while senior Toya Osuegbu paced the club in blocks per set as well as ranking third in total points.

Julie Torbett begins her seventh season at the helm of the program owning not only the most wins of any ECU volleyball head coach but also the second-highest victory total among her peers in the American Athletic Conference.

East Carolina produced a 13-16 overall record and 5-13 league mark last season as well as finishing in a tie for ninth in the league standings. The Pirates were slotted ninth in the 2019 preseason coaches poll.

A Look At George Mason
George Mason finished the 2018 campaign at 10-15 overall and 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play, good for fourth in the conference standings and a spot in the league tournament. The Patriots, picked seventh in the A10 preseason coaches poll, welcome back all but one starter but will have to contend with the loss of the program's single-match, single-season and career record holder for total digs in Catie Espinoza who tallied 452 digs (4.76 per set) a season ago. Senior outside hitter Bailey Williams, a 2018 Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honoree, led the team in kills per set (2.86) last year and has totaled 721 kills in her career. Aylene Ilkson is in her third season as George Mason's head coach.

Scouting Providence College
Providence College posted an 8-21 overall record and 2-16 mark in Big East Conference play in 2018, finishing 10th of 10 teams in the league standings. The Friars were also selected to finish in 10th place this season according to the conference's preseason coaches poll. Senior outside hitter Addison Root returns as the top offensive threat for Providence, recording a team second-best 316 kills (3.01 per set) a year ago. Setter Allison Barber ran the offense as a sophomore last season, racking up 1,032 assists (9.83 per set) and 250 digs (2.38 per set). The Friars did lose Allison Impellizeri to graduation and will have to replace her squad-best averages of 3.10 kills and 0.82 blocks per set. Margot Royer-Johnson, was named the fifth head volleyball coach in Providence College history in August of 2000 and now enters her 20th season with the Friars.

The George Mason Series
East Carolina is just 5-23 against George Mason in the all-time series but the teams have not met since Sept. 17, 2011 when the Patriots defeated the Pirates in three sets at the Thunder Invitational in Huntington, W.Va.

The Providence Series
The season opener against Providence marks the second time the two schools will meet on the volleyball court. The Friars captured a 3-0 victory over the Pirates back on Sept. 1, 2017 at the Hatter Classic in Deland, Fla.

Up Next
East Carolina continues its non-conference exploits Sept. 6-7 at the UNF Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla., where the Pirates will take on host North Florida, Mercer and Wake Forest.

Gameday: East Carolina Visits George Mason To Inaugurate 2019 Season

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

Brandee Markwith

Shelby Martin

Toya Osuegbu

Bri Wood

Footer