ECU Begins Homestand Hosting SMU And Memphis

Matches 12-13: SMU and Memphis
Coverage	Oct. 1 \| vs. SMU \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Oct. 3 \| vs. Memphis \| Noon \| Live Stats \| Watch
Promotions	Friday: Homecoming \| Sunday: Paint It Purple
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ SMU \\\ Memphis
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #ChasingPerfection

Complete Match Notes (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After securing its first American Athletic Conference victory last Sunday at South Florida, East Carolina looks to vault itself into the upper half of the league table when it welcomes SMU and Memphis to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Homecoming Weekend. Admission is free of charge.

Friday's match will be streamed live via ESPN+ while Sunday's contest will be available to watch through Pirates All-Access.

Following a three-set loss to defending AAC champion UCF last Friday in Orlando, the Pirates (5-6, 1-1 AAC) knocked off the Bulls in a 3-1 thriller at The Corral in Tampa. Three of the four sets were decided in extra points, including a 32-30 marathon in the fourth and final stanza.

Senior right side Bri Wood is tops on the squad and fifth in the league in kills per set (3.37) while also ranking eighth in points per set (3.50). Additionally, freshman middle blocker Amelia Davis checks in seventh among American Conference players in blocks per set (1.03), freshman libero Tia Shum is seventh in digs per set (3.82) and senior outside hitter Natalie Tyson is eighth in kills per set (2.97). As a team, the Pirates are fourth in opposing hitting percentage (.195).

Wood moved into seventh place on the ECU career list for kills over the weekend, racking up 25 in the two matches in Florida to push her total to 1,109. Additionally, she needs just 85 more digs to become the sixth player in program history to record 1,000 kills and digs.

SMU carries a 6-6 overall record and 2-0 AAC mark to Greenville, defeating Memphis and Temple last week to open its league schedule. Hannah Jacobs and Rachel Woulfe have combined for 243 kills while Alex Glover paces the American Conference in hitting percentage (.418). Collectively, the Mustangs rank fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.213).

Memphis is 8-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play in advance of a Friday road matchup with Cincinnati. The Tigers knocked off Temple in four sets at home in their most recent outing but also have a 3-0 loss to SMU on the ledger. Sabrina Bianco leads the league in assists per set (10.83) while Bailey Houlihan is second among AAC players in digs per set (4.76). As a unit, Memphis slots near the top of the league statistical list, pacing the circuit in kills per set (13.33) and assists per set (12.47), sitting second in digs per set (16.78) and ranking third in opponent hitting percentage (.188).

East Carolina is 2-1 at home thus far, defeating Gardner-Webb and Appalachian State during the Pirate Invitational a few weeks ago.

The SMU Series
SMU leads the series with East Carolina by a 15-5 margin and has won 14 of the last 15 meetings. The most recent ECU victory occurred in 2018 in Greenville when the Pirates downed the Mustangs 3-1 at Minges Coliseum.

The Memphis Series
East Carolina trails Memphis in the series between the programs 22-9. The Pirates have captured three of the last five encounters, but dropped the last meeting in five sets back on Oct. 27, 2019 in Greenville.

Up Next
East Carolina remains at home next week, hosting Cincinnati Wednesday and Temple Friday.

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Players Mentioned

Amelia Davis

Tia Shum

Natalie Tyson

Bri Wood

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