Pirates Trek West For Two AAC Matches

Matches 16-17: at Wichita State and Tulsa
Coverage	Oct. 15 \| at Wichita State \| 8:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Oct. 17 \| at Tulsa \| 2:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venues	Koch Arena (Wichita, Kan.) Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ Wichita State \\\ Tulsa
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #ChasingPerfection

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following two weeks at home, East Carolina heads back on the road this weekend for a pair of American Athletic Conference matches at Wichita State and Tulsa. Both contests will be streamed live via the ESPN+ service.

The Pirates (7-8, 3-3 AAC) split their most recent league road trip in late September, falling to UCF before picking up a 3-1 victory at South Florida. Currently, ECU is seventh in the conference standings, two matches behind leaders Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.

East Carolina went 1-1 last week, dropping a three-set decision to Cincinnati Wednesday and sweeping Temple Friday inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Senior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll for her performances against the Bearcats and Owls. She averaged 3.33 kills and 3.92 points per set, collecting 13 kills and two service aces in the sweep of Temple.

As a team, ECU is third in the American Conference in opposing hitting percentage (.191) as well as seventh in digs per set (14.07). A pair of freshmen are near the top of the individual league statistical rankings as Aaliyah Griffin is sixth in blocks per set (1.04) while Tia Shum slots seventh in digs per set (3.89).

The Pirates are 1-4 on the road this season with a win over South Florida and losses to NC State, North Carolina, Coastal Carolina and UCF.

The Competition
Wichita State (9-6, 3-3 AAC) owns some momentum having picked up road victories at Memphis and SMU last weekend. Brylee Kelly was recognized by the league on the honor roll after averaging 5.50 points per set in the two wins. She is currently fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.43). As a unit, the Shockers are second among the circuit in opposing hitting percentage (.191) as well as third in both hitting percentage (.227) and digs per set (15.76).

Meanwhile, Tulsa (9-6, 4-2 AAC) has won three of its last four to vault into a fourth-place tie with Tulane. The Golden Hurricane mimicked Wichita State with road wins at SMU and Memphis last weekend. Always a stout defensive club, Tulsa leads the American Conference and is 13th nationally in digs per set (17.50). Individually, Kayley Cassaday sits third in the league in kills per set (3.82).

The Wichita State Series
Wichita State leads the series with East Carolina by a 5-0 margin and has dropped just one set of the 16 contested.

The Tulsa Series
East Carolina trails Tulsa in the series between the programs 20-2. The Pirates' most recent victory over the Golden Hurricane occurred back on Oct. 1, 2017 in Greenville in four sets.

Up Next
East Carolina returns home next weekend for a pair of American Conference matches against Tulane and Houston.

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Players Mentioned

Aaliyah Griffin

Sydney Kleinman

Tia Shum

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