Gameday: East Carolina Begins Home Slate With Pirate Invitational

Matches 6-8: Pirate Invitational
The Matches	Sept. 13 vs. George Washington \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free) Sept. 14 vs. Norfolk State \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free) Sept. 14 vs. USC Upstate \\\ 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free)
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Information	Tournament Central \\\ 2019 Fact Book \\\ 2019 Prospectus
Social Media	@ECUVB (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ #GoPirates

Weekly Release No. 4

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following a thrilling 3-2 victory at NC State, East Carolina opens its home schedule this weekend welcoming George Washington, Norfolk State and USC Upstate to Greenville and Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for the Pirate Invitational. Admission to all six tournament matches is free of charge.

ECU trailed the Wolfpack by two sets in Raleigh Tuesday evening, but dug down and rallied to win the next three to improve to 2-0 in five setters. Junior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman posted her second double-double of the season with a match-best 18 kills and 10 digs while junior right side Bri Wood chipped in with 12 kills, 11 digs and five blocks. The Pirates limited NC State to a .143 hitting percentage - the lowest by an East Carolina opponent in six matches this season.

Collectively, ECU enters the weekend averaging 13.08 kills, 11.67 assists, 1.46 aces, 13.96 digs and 1.83 blocks per set while hitting at a .248 clip. The Pirates were 6-7 at home last year, including a 2-1 record in the Pirate Invitational.

Offensive leaders Kleinman and Wood own respective 3.50 and 3.25 kills per set averages while redshirt junior libero Brandee Markwith enters the weekend with 99 total digs (4.12 per set). At the net, senior middle blocker Toya Osuegbu has collected 21 total blocks (0.91) per set and is coming off a season-high nine-block performance at NC State. Junior setter Shelby Martin, a preseason all-conference pick, has posted a team-best three double-doubles and is currently seventh on the program career list with 2,081 assists.

Scouting George Washington
George Washington, 2-4 overall, dropped all three of its matches at the Hurricane Invitational last weekend. The Colonials fell to Miami in five sets, Florida Gulf Coast in three and Auburn in four. Skylar Iott leads the way offensively with 73 total kills (3.32 per set) and is hitting .080 as well as digging 2.32 volleyballs per set. Jaimeson Lee has been George Washington's main setter and is putting up 8.32 assists per set. As a team, the Colonials are averaging 10.77 kills, 9.36 assists, 1.55 aces, 13.27 digs and 2.57 blocks per set as well as sporting a .158 hitting percentage. Sarah Benson is in her third season as the program's head coach.

A Look At Norfolk State
Norfolk State will arrive in Greenville with an 0-6 record and will look to win its first set of the season as well. The Spartans have fallen 3-0 to Hampton (twice), Fordham, Rider, Toledo and American thus far. Julisa Carrizosa sports a team-high 21 kills (1.17 per set) but is hitting at a -.025 clip. Myleah Carter paces the defensive efforts with 48 total digs (2.67 per set). Collectively, Norfolk State is averaging 7.17 kills, 6.72 assists, 1.00 aces, 10.22 digs and 1.17 blocks per set and is hitting .039 with 109 errors in 508 attempts. Kathy Bullock was hired to lead the program in the summer of 2019. She owns 25 seasons of head coaching experience, including stints at Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T.

About USC Upstate
USC Upstate brings an 0-6 record into tournament action this weekend, most recently falling to NCAA Division II member Tusculum in five sets at home. The Spartans have also lost to Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), Georgia Southern and Limestone. Emily Russell checks in with a team-best 51 kills (2.55 per set) and is hitting .294 as well as putting up 1.00 blocks per set while Mackenzie Marcum leads the back row with 84 digs (3.65 per set). USC Upstate is averaging 9.74 kills, 8.22 assists, 0.87 aces, 13.91 digs and 1.96 blocks per set but is hitting just .123 with 132 errors in 750 attempts. Ronda Shirley took the reigns of the program in January of 2019 after accumulating nearly 600 victories at the junior college level and was inducted into the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015.

The George Washington Series
George Washington and East Carolina have met five times on the volleyball court. The Colonials lead the series 3-2, but the Pirates have won the last two encounters, including a sweep on GWU's home court back on Sept. 14, 2007.

The Norfolk State Series
ECU holds a 3-0 record against Norfolk State in the all-time series. The Pirates defeated the Spartans in three sets back on Sept. 5, 2014 in Greenville.

The USC Upstate Series
The series between East Carolina and USC Upstate is a short one, encompassing just two matches which the Pirates have won both. ECU knocked off the Spartans last season (Sept. 1, 2018) in three sets at the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle Invitational.

Up Next
East Carolina closes out a four-match homestand Tuesday, Sept. 17, against N.C. Central.

Gameday: East Carolina Begins Home Slate With Pirate Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

Brandee Markwith

Shelby Martin

Toya Osuegbu

Bri Wood

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