East Carolina Hosts South Florida And UCF

Matches 22-23: South Florida and UCF
Coverage	Nov. 5 \| vs. South Florida \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Nov. 7 \| vs. UCF \| Noon \| Live Stats \| Watch
Promotions	Friday: Girls and Women In Sports/Military Appreciation Sunday: Alumni Day
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ South Florida \\\ UCF
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #ChasingPerfection

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina returns to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum this weekend, hosting American Athletic Conference opponents South Florida and UCF. The Pirates and Bulls match up Friday at 6 p.m., while ECU takes on the Knights Sunday at Noon.

The Pirates went on the road last weekend to begin the second half of league play, dropping a pair of 3-1 decisions at Memphis and SMU. East Carolina won the first set of each match before seeing the Tigers and Mustangs win the final three.

Sydney Kleinman, who enters the week just 87 kills away from 1,000, leads the American Conference in aces per set (0.46) while ranking second in kills per set (4.34) and points per set (5.13). As a team, the Pirates are fifth in the league in opposing hitting percentage (.208) and seventh in digs per set (14.25).

The Competition
South Florida (6-17, 0-12 AAC) was swept by Wichita State before falling to Tulsa in four sets last weekend at home. Marta Cvitkovic paces the offensive attack with an average of 3.16 kills per set – good for ninth in the AAC. CC Clausen anchors the back row efforts, checking in at sixth in the conference in digs per set (3.84). The Bulls have been solid at the net statistically, sitting fourth among the league squads in blocks per set (2.20).

UCF (18-6, 11-1 AAC) maintained its grip of first place in the standings last weekend with 3-0 wins over Tulsa and Wichita State. McKenna Melville was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week Nov. 1 after putting up 6.67 points per set, 3.83 digs per set and a .536 hitting percentage in the two victories. She currently paces the conference in kills per set (4.97) and points per set (5.62). Collectively, the Knights lead the league in hitting percentage (.271) and blocks per set (2.61).

The South Florida Series
Following a 3-1 win in Tampa back on Sept. 26, East Carolina sliced South Florida's lead in the series to 12-7 and has now captured three of the last encounters.

The UCF Series
UCF leads the series with ECU by a 22-10 margin and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. The most recent Pirate victory occurred in 2017 in Greenville when East Carolina downed the Knights 3-1 at Minges Coliseum.

Up Next
The Pirates head west next weekend for a pair of AAC matches at Houston and Tulane.

Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

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