ECU Opens Home Slate With Pirate Invitational

Matches 7-9: Pirate Invitational
Coverage	Sept. 17 \| vs. Gardner-Webb \| 1:30 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Sept. 17 \| vs. UTRGV \| 7:30 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Sept. 18 \| vs. Appalachian State \| 3:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Tournament Central	Pirate Invitational Tournament Central
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ Gardner-Webb \\\ UTRGV \\\ Appalachian State
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation #ECUVB

Weekly Release No. 3 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After starting the 2021 campaign with six-straight road matches, East Carolina returns to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Friday and Saturday for the Pirate Invitational. Gardner-Webb, UTRGV and Appalachian State join the Pirates in comprising the tournament field.

Admission is free of charge. For fans unable to attend the event, all three matches featuring ECU will be streamed live via ESPN+ with Corey Hodges on the call.

ECU, 2-4 overall, picked up its first two victories of the season last weekend in Conway at the Chanticleer Classic, downing Radford and UNCW in three sets while also falling to host Coastal Carolina in three in the tournament's first match.

Sydney Kleinman had a match to remember versus the Highlanders, exploding for a career-high 24 kills and hitting .373 while also adding 12 digs to complete her first double-double of the campaign. She added 12 kills and six service aces in the win over the Seahawks later that day.

Tia Shum was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for her performances in Conway, averaging 4.78 digs per set and collecting a career-high 20 digs in the three-set triumph over Radford.

The Pirates saw the return of a few key players to the lineup last weekend and it showed as the squad averaged 13.00 kills, 11.89 assists, 2.00 service aces and 15.53 digs per set while hitting .213 and limiting the opposing offenses to .182 efficiency.

Gardner-Webb, under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Plunkett, is 3-4 overall after dropping two of three at the Wofford Invitational last weekend. Meanwhile, UTRGV heads to Greenville with a 5-4 record following a 3-1 performance at its own tournament in Edinburg, Texas. Appalachian State is 3-6, losing to Charlotte, Bellarmine and Wake Forest last weekend at home. The Mountaineers have yet to play a match outside of Boone this season.

The Gardner-Webb Series
East Carolina holds a 5-1 advantage in the series with Gardner-Webb. The Pirates most recently met the Runnin' Bulldogs in Boiling Springs back on Sept. 20, 2019 and picked up a four-set victory. ECU is 2-1 against Gardner-Webb in Greenville.

The UTRGV Series
Friday night's matchup between East Carolina and UTRGV will be the first time the Pirates and Vaqueros have met on the volleyball floor.

The Appalachian State Series
East Carolina and Appalachian State have split 22 meetings but have only played one time since 2005 - a five-set Pirate win in Boone back on Sept. 20, 2013. ECU is 6-1 versus the Mountaineers in Greenville.

Non-Conference Note
The Pirates have enjoyed a great deal of success in non-conference matches since 2013, accruing a 71-27 record. Entering the weekend, East Carolina has won 18 of its last 24 non-league affairs.

First Of All
ECU is 5-1 under Augustin when winning the first set of a match.

Eighth Season in The American
East Carolina is in its eighth volleyball season as a member of the American Athletic Conference after spending 13 years as part of Conference USA. The Pirates look for their highest finish in the league since taking fourth place during the 2017 campaign.

Up Next
East Carolina begins American Athletic Conference play next weekend with matches at UCF and South Florida.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Kleinman

Tia Shum

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