ECU Hosts UNC In First Meeting Since 2002

Match Six: North Carolina at East Carolina
The Match	Feb. 28 \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ North Carolina
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation #ECUVB

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina steps out of American Athletic Conference play Sunday afternoon, welcoming North Carolina to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The teams are meeting for the first time since 2002 when the Tar Heels won a four-set decision in Chapel Hill.

The contest is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live via Pirates All-Access.

ECU enters the day with a 1-4 overall record after falling twice to South Florida last week. The Pirates dropped the first match to the Bulls in four sets before seeing a big rally fall just short in five sets in the series finale.

Senior right side Bri Wood paces East Carolina in both kills (76) and kills per set (3.80). She is just 31 kills away from becoming the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000. Classmate and outside hitter Sydney Kleinman has been the other main offensive option for the Pirates this season as she is second on the squad in kills (71) and kills per set (3.55). Wood also tops all ECU players in hitting percentage (.239). Defensively, senior libero Camryn Allen has collected a team-best 77 digs (3.85 per set) and redshirt sophomore S'mara Riley checks in with 25 total blocks (1.25 per set).

As a unit, the Pirates are putting up 12.15 kills, 11.60 assists, 1.15 aces, 18.05 digs and 2.00 blocks per set as well as a .188 hitting percentage. East Carolina is limiting opposing teams to .189 offensive efficiency.

A Look At North Carolina
North Carolina is 7-2 overall after knocking off Appalachian State in straight sets Feb. 18 in Chapel Hill. Aziah Buckner leads the way offensively with 91 kills and a 2.76 per set average. Karenna Wurl is tops defensively with 159 digs (4.54) while Kaya Merkler checks in with 39 total blocks (1.11 per set). The Tar Heels are hitting .226 as a team while averaging 12.94 kills, 12.17 assists, 1.54 aces, 14.17 digs and 2.56 blocks per set.

The North Carolina Series
North Carolina holds a 38-4 advantage in a series that dates back to 1971. The Pirates have not defeated the Tar Heels since 1978 – a span of 29 matches.

Up Next
East Carolina jumps back into league play with a two-match series at UCF March 5-6.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Camryn Allen

Sydney Kleinman

S'mara Riley

Bri Wood

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