East Carolina Hosts Pirate Invitational To Kick Off 2022 Campaign

Matches 1-3: 2022 Pirate Invitational
Coverage	Aug. 26 \\\ vs. Furman \\\ 1:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Aug. 26 \\\ vs. Towson \\\ 7:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Aug. 27 \\\ vs. Norfolk State \\\ 4:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Tournament Central	2022 Pirate Invitational
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 1 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina begins its third season under Adler Augustin's direction Friday when the Pirates take on Furman and Towson to kick off the Pirate Invitational inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. ECU also faces Norfolk State during the weekend event.

All three of East Carolina's matches will be streamed live via ESPN+.

The Pirates ended the 2021 fall campaign with a 9-20 record and 5-15 American Athletic Conference mark. Three starters return from that squad while East Carolina welcomes seven newcomers to Greenville, including a quartet of Division I transfers in outside hitter Kellyn Trowse (Elon), outside hitter Brittany Wood (UNC Greensboro), middle blocker Shaylynn Hall (North Carolina A&T) and setter Julianna Askew (University of North Florida). The additions will help the Pirates offset the loss of their top-three scorers (Bri Wood, Sydney Kleinman and Natalie Tyson).

ECU starts the season at home for the first time since 2017 when they put together a 22-11 overall record and 13-7 American Athletic Conference mark. The 22 victories were the most in a single season for the program since 1982 while the 13 league triumphs set a new school record.

In Season Openers
ECU holds a 23-22 record in season openers dating back to a 3-2 victory over UNC Greensboro in the program's first-ever match. The Pirates, severely shorthanded by COVID-19 protocols, were swept by Wofford in their first match of the 2021 fall campaign.

Ninth Season In The American
East Carolina is in its ninth 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 in 2017.

Upping The Competition
The Pirates are set to challenge themselves during non-conference play, facing three members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in Duke, Notre Dame and Virginia as well as Maryland of the Big Ten Conference. ECU has already claimed victory over an ACC squad with Augustin at the helm when the Pirates swept North Carolina in Greenville in the spring of 2021 - East Carolina's first victory over UNC since 1978.

Last Go Round For AAC Trio
The 2022 campaign marks the last for Cincinnati, UCF and Houston as members of the American Athletic Conference. While those programs depart the league in 2023, six new faces simultaneously arrive in the form of Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA.

A Look At Furman
Furman ended the 2021 fall campaign with a 9-20 overall record and 2-14 Southern Conference mark. Despite finishing last in the league standings, the Paladins made a run all the way to the conference tournament semifinals before falling to Wofford. Furman returns four starters from last year's squad while welcoming eight newcomers to the fold, including a trio of Division I transfers in middle blocker Genevieve Perry (Tulane), pin hitter Lily Barnhill (Saint Peter's) and outside hitter Mary Beth Headley (UCF). The Paladins lost their top three offensive producers but do return setter Sarah Turner (618 assists) and libero Andrea Aceveda (479 digs). Michelle Young is in her 23rd season in charge of the Furman program and owns a 378-285 record at the institution.

The Furman Series
Furman holds a 10-1 advantage in the all-time series with East Carolina, but the teams have not met since 2010 when the Paladins swept the Pirates at the Georgetown Classic. ECU's lone victory over Furman occurred Sept. 8, 2000 at the Kansas Tournament - a four-set Pirate triumph.

About Norfolk State
Norfolk State finished its 2021 fall slate with an 8-18 overall record and 4-10 showing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference before bowing out to Coppin State in a three-set decision at the MEAC Tournament. Norfolk State returns a number of key contributors from last season's squad, including leading scorer and outside hitter Shonte Seale (281.0 points) as well as libero Nicole Rodriguez (440 digs/5.00 per set). The Spartans were selected sixth in the MEAC preseason coaches poll and received one first-place vote. Kathy Bullock is in her fourth season in charge of the Norfolk State program and owns nearly 30 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level. She played at North Carolina A&T and was a four-time first-team all-conference selection.

The Norfolk State Series
East Carolina is 4-0 against Norfolk State in the all-time series and has not dropped a set against the Spartans. The teams last met Sept. 14, 2019 in Greenville where the Pirates picked up a 25-15, 25-19, 25-22 victory. Three of the four previous matchups have occurred at Minges Coliseum.

Scouting Towson
Towson has established itself as the Colonial Athletic Association's top team in recent years as the Tigers have won the last three CAA Tournament titles. Last season, Towson put together a 26-5 overall record and 12-4 CAA ledger. The Tigers defeated Elon in five sets to win the conference tournament before bowing out to Penn State 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Towson has been selected to win the league once again this campaign according to the preseason coaches poll. Outside hitters Fay Bakodimou and Nina Cajic, as well as middle blocker Lydia Wiers, were also tabbed to the preseason all-conference team. Don Metil is in his 10th season as head coach at Towson and owns a 192-74 record at the school.

The Towson Series
Towson has won the only two meetings with East Carolina, both in three-set fashion. The teams have not met since 1996 when the Tigers swept the Pirates at the Towson State Invitational. Friday marks the first appearance for the Tigers at Minges Coliseum.

Up Next
East Carolina makes the short trip over to Durham for the Duke Invitational next weekend. The Pirates are slated to face off with the host Blue Devils as well as East Tennessee State and Northeastern.

East Carolina Hosts Pirate Invitational To Kick Off 2022 Campaign

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Julianna Askew

Shaylynn Hall

Kellyn Trowse

Natalie Tyson

Bri Wood

Brittany Wood

Footer