East Carolina Visits UCF For Two AAC Matches

Matches 7-8: East Carolina at UCF
The Matches	March 5 \\\ 6:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch March 6 \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	The Venue At UCF (Orlando, Fla.)
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ UCF
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation #ECUVB

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina jumps back into American Athletic Conference play this weekend, challenging East Division-leading UCF inside The Venue. The Pirates and Knights will match up Friday at 6 p.m. before closing the set Saturday at 2 p.m.

ECU enters the fray at 2-4 overall and 0-4 in AAC contests. The Pirates swept North Carolina last Sunday inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, defeating the Tar Heels for the first time since 1978 and snapping a 29-match losing streak in the series.

Senior pin hitters Bri Wood and Sydney Kleinman have been the driving force behind the offense this season, combining for 164 kills. The duo has also handled passing duties as six-rotation players and have collected 151 digs between them with both players averaging over three per set. Defensively, redshirt sophomore middle blocker S'mara Riley is putting up 1.35 blocks per set (31 total) while senior libero Camryn Allen averages exactly four digs per set. East Carolina has run a 6-2 offense the last couple of matches with senior setter Alisi Motu'apuaka and junior setter Janiece Jefferies checking in with 168 and 57 assists, respectively.

In the AAC statistical rankings, the Pirates are second in blocks per set (2.22), third in opponent hitting percentage (.177) and fourth in digs per set (17.91). Wood and Kleinman slot fifth and seventh in kills per set while Riley tops the league in blocks per set and Kleinman is fifth in points per set (4.07). Nationally, ECU is 28th in digs per set and Riley is 35th in blocks per set.

Scouting UCF
UCF returns home at 8-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. The Knights traveled up to Florida State back on Feb. 26 and saw a 2-0 lead vanish in a five-set loss to the Seminoles. McKenna Melville, the AAC Preseason Player of the Year, paces UCF offensively with 153 kills (4.78) and a .280 hitting percentage. Arianna Arjomand tops the side in total digs (91) and digs per set (2.94) while Nerissa Moravec has racked up 43 total blocks (1.34 per set).

The UCF Series
UCF leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 19-10 margin and has captured seven of the last eight meetings – including a season series sweep in 2019. The Pirates last defeated the Knights on Nov. 5, 2017 in a four-set decision inside Minges Coliseum.

Up Next
ECU wraps up league play March 12-13 with a two-match set against Temple in Greenville.

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Players Mentioned

Camryn Allen

Janiece Jefferies

Sydney Kleinman

Alisi Motu'apuaka

S'mara Riley

Bri Wood

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