Pirates Trek To Durham For Duke Invitational

Matches 4-6: Duke Invitational
Coverage	Sept. 2 \\\ vs. Northeastern \\\ 10:00 a.m. \\\ Live Stats Sept. 3 \\\ vs. East Tennessee State \\\ 12 noon \\\ Live Stats Sept. 3 \\\ at Duke \\\ 700 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.)
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 2 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina begins a nine-match road swing this weekend with participation in the Duke Invitational at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In addition to the host Blue Devils, the Pirates are also slated to encounter Northeastern and East Tennessee State.

ECU opens tournament play Friday at 10 a.m. against Northeastern before taking on ETSU Saturday at 12 noon and Duke later that evening at 7 p.m.

This weekend marks the first appearance for East Carolina at the Duke Invitational since 2012.

At the season-opening Pirate Invitational at Minges Coliseum a week ago, ECU defeated Furman and Norfolk State while falling to three-time defending CAA champion Towson. Freshman outside hitter Angeles Alderete was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.90 points, 4.20 kills and 2.90 digs per set with a pair of double-doubles and a .371 hitting percentage. She was also tabbed to the first American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll of the campaign.

After one weekend of play, ECU leads the American Conference in aces per set (2.30) and opponent hitting percentage (.157). Individually, Alderete is second in points per set, third in hitting percentage and fourth in kills per set while Kellyn Trowse is second in aces per set (0.60) and Shaylynn Hall checks in sixth in blocks per set (1.22).

A Look At Northeastern
Northeastern seeks its first victory of the 2022 season this weekend, having fallen to UTEP, Pacific and Northwestern at the Northwestern Tournament in Evanston, Ill., last Friday and Saturday. The Huskies battled the Miners to five sets before suffering sweeps at the hands of the Tigers and host Wildcats. Erica Staunton paces the Northeastern offense to the tune of 37 kills (3.36 per set) while Kayla Marin anchors the back row with a 3.55 digs per set average (39 total). Collectively, the Huskies are putting up 10.45 kills, 9.45 assists, 0.64 aces, 11.82 digs and 1.55 blocks per set with a .174 hitting percentage. Opponents are firing at a .275 clip and averaging 14.00 kills per set. Lenika Vazquez is in her third season leading the program following a four-year stint at Canisius College.

The Northeastern Series
East Carolina and Northeastern have met just once on the volleyball court as the Huskies swept the Pirates at the Duke Invitational back on Sept. 7, 2012.

About East Tennessee State
East Tennessee State challenged itself against a trio of solid opponents at the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend. The Bucs couldn't find the win column, losing in four sets to then No. 15 Florida and Virginia and dropping a three-set decision to North Florida. Jenna Forster owns a team-best 19 kills (2.11 per set) while Haley Sanders has collected a squad-high 26 digs (2.89 per set). As a team, ETSU averages 9.73 kills, 8.91 assists, 1.09 aces, 9.09 digs and 1.82 blocks per set to go with a .131 hitting percentage. Opponents are putting up 13.73 kills and hitting .326. Benavia Jenkins is in her fourth season as head coach for the Bucs program. She arrived in Johnson City following three seasons as an assistant coach at AAC member South Florida.

The East Tennessee State Series
ETSU holds a 10-3 advantage in the series with ECU, but the teams have not met since the 2013 season - a 3-0 Bucs victory at Wake Forest's Deacon Invitational in Winston-Salem. The Pirates last defeated ETSU Aug. 29, 2008, at Minges Coliseum, sweeping the Bucs as part of the East Carolina Classic.

Scouting Duke
Duke traveled nearly the length of the country during opening weekend, traveling to Provo, Utah, for the Doterra Classic hosted by BYU. The Blue Devils fell 3-1 to both Washington State and then No. 10 BYU before rebounding with a four-set win over Rider to close out tournament play. Gracie Johnson paces the Duke offense with 53 kills (4.42 per set) and is hitting .254 while Madison Bryant tops the back row with 52 digs (4.33 per set). The Blue Devils average 12.58 kills, 12.08 assists, 1.83 aces, 11.92 digs and 2.00 blocks per set and are hitting an even .200. As for their opponents, Duke's foes are putting up 11.67 kills to go along with a .219 hitting percentage. Jolene Nagel became the Blue Devils' fifth head volleyball coach in 1999 and has led Duke to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Duke Series
The lengthy series between Duke and East Carolina favors the Blue Devils who have captured 21 of the 32 meetings, including the last 13. The squad last faced off in 2012 in Durham where Duke managed a 3-0 victory. The Pirates have not knocked off the Blue Devils since Oct. 9, 1982, when they defeated Duke two sets to one in Greenville.

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.

Up Next
East Carolina heads up to Norfolk Sept. 9-10 to participate in the Quest for the Crown tournament hosted by Old Dominion. In addition to the host Monarchs, the Pirates will face Notre Dame and Navy.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Shaylynn Hall

Kellyn Trowse

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