ECU Blanks Radford For First Victory

Friday, September 10

Conway, S.C.

9:00 a.m.

East Carolina University

1-4,0-0AAC

Radford

1-6,0-0Big South

Radford

East Carolina

September 10, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CONWAY, S.C. – Sydney Kleinman recorded a career-high 24 kills Friday morning as East Carolina secured its first win of the season by sweeping Radford inside the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. The Pirates won each frame by respective 25-18, 33-31 and 25-17 scores.

Team Records: East Carolina (1-4) | Radford (1-6)

Kleinman added 12 digs to her match total, notching her 15th career double-double while hitting .373 in the process. Natalie Tyson also produced a double-double, finishing the contest with 10 kills and 10 digs. Defensively, Tia Shum tallied a match-high 20 digs while Sariah Schulteis tied her personal best with nine of her own. Freshman setter Kenzie Beckham ran the offense to the tune of 37 assists and added eight digs. Taylor O'Neal paced Radford with a double-double of 10 kills and 11 digs.

ECU fired on all cylinders in the first and third sets with respective .414 and .367 hitting percentages to finish the match firing at a .206 clip. The Pirates limited the Highlanders to .098 efficiency while also holding the upper hand in kills (46-35), assists (45-33), aces (5-2) and digs (60-53). East Carolina did a nice job of siding out the whole way, not dipping below 68 percent in any of the stanzas.

The teams battled to a tie at seven in the first set and stayed close together all the way to a deadlock at 14 points apiece. A Radford service error allowed ECU to go on a bit of a run as an attacking error put the Pirates in front by a 19-15 margin. Following a Highlander timeout, consecutive errors eventually gave East Carolina a 22-17 advantage. ECU would score three of the final four points to claim the opener.

The Pirates utilized a quick timeout trailing 6-3 in the second frame and it proved beneficial as a 6-2 run propelled the Purple and Gold to a one-point edge. ECU led by as much as 14-10, but Radford rallied all the way back to tie the score at 18. An attacking error put the Highlanders at set point, 24-22. However, a service error and Kleinman ace sent the stanza to extra points. An all-out battle ensued from there as neither team could put the other away. Finally, with things knotted at 31, Kleinman and Tyson found the floor to win the set for the Pirates.

Radford got off to a quick start in the third, leading 7-4 following an ace. East Carolina responded by scoring five of the next six points to seize back control. After a Highlander timeout, the Pirates raced further ahead – establishing some breathing room at 14-11 thanks to another Kleinman kill. ECU kept Radford at an arm's length the rest of the way and Kleinman's 24th kill of the match sealed the sweep.

Up Next: East Carolina closes out its stay in Conway Friday at 1 p.m. versus UNCW.