East Carolina Topples NC State 3-2 In Comeback Fashion

Tuesday, September 10

Raleigh, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

5-1

NC State

2-4

East Carolina

NC State

Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC

September 10, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. – Trailing two sets to none to NC State Tuesday night in Raleigh, East Carolina put together a stirring rally and stunned the Wolfpack 3-2 (19-25, 19-25, 29-27, 25-21, 15-10) at Reynolds Coliseum.

"I just couldn't be prouder of the team for beating a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, especially an in-state rival in its home arena," head coach Julie Torbett said. "We have said we needed to take that next step as a program and schedule tougher because our league is so good."

The Pirates (5-1) defeated NC State (2-4) for the first time since 2007 and picked up only their fifth win in the all-time series. ECU also improved to 2-0 in five-set matches this season after going 0-3 in the same situation last year.

"That was a really exciting match," Torbett added. "The environment in the building was great and we fed off of that. I am really proud of the way we scraped our way back into it. We showed fight and determination and executed the game plan. When I made some lineup changes, no one pouted or hung their heads. Everyone was involved and cheering the team on, understanding everything was for the betterment of the team."

Junior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman ended up with match-high honors in kills with 18 and hit .275 on 40 attempts. She added 10 digs to complete her second double-double of the campaign. Junior right side Bri Wood also turned in a double-double effort, putting down 12 kills to go along with 11 digs. A supreme defensive effort by the Pirates was spurred by its middles as redshirt sophomore Sydney Hall connected for nine kills, a .368 hitting percentage and eight total blocks. Senior Toya Osuegbu collected nine blocks of her own for good measure. Additionally, redshirt junior libero Brandee Markwith led all players in the contest with 26 digs while junior setter Shelby Martin chipped in with 35 assists, nine digs and six kills. Melissa Evans paced NC State with 14 kills and a .237 hitting percentage.

ECU exploded for 17 total blocks in the affair, matching the fourth-highest single-match total in program history. The Pirates also held advantages in digs (63-55), kills (59-56) and hitting percentage (.172-.143). Notably, East Carolina allowed its lowest hitting percentage by an opponent this season.

The teams started off trading points in the initial part of the opening stanza until East Carolina pulled out to a 15-12 lead following a NC State attacking error. The Wolfpack would rally, taking off on an 8-1 run to seize control. Hall momentarily stopped the home team's momentum with a kill, but NCSU was able to ride the set out and win it by six.

NC State grabbed control of the second frame and led 11-7 after a kill. The Pirates could not catch up and the Wolfpack entered the break up two sets to none.

Determined to extend the match, East Carolina raced out to a 10-3 advantage in the third. NCSU eventually rallied to knot the score at 22 and a race to the finish ensued from there. Finally, with the score tied 27-27, a Wolfpack ball-handling error and attacking error allowed the Pirates to claim the set.

The fourth stanza was a tooth and nail battle as neither team budged early. ECU reached the media timeout with a 15-13 lead following a Kleinman kill, but the home team later tied things at 18. The Pirates dug down and held off NC State late, winning the fourth set by four and forcing the decider.

A pair of Kleinman kills got East Carolina off and running in the fifth and the Pirates, behind the serve of Martin, stretched the lead to 5-0. NCSU drew within 6-5, but ECU scored the next three points to re-establish a four-point edge. The Wolfpack never recovered, fending off two match points before Kleinman terminated the final ball of the match.

East Carolina, after six matches away from Greenville, opens its home season Friday at 7 p.m. when it takes on George Washington to begin the Pirate Invitational.