ECU Finishes Non-Conference Slate In Virginia

Matches 10-12: Virginia Tournament
Coverage	Sept. 16 \\\ at Virginia \\\ 12:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Sept. 16 \\\ vs. Maryland \\\ 5:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Sept. 17 \\\ vs. Mercer \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Memorial Gymnasium (Charlottesville, Va.)
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 4 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina tunes up one last time before the start of American Athletic Conference play, traveling to the Commonwealth of Virginia for a round-robin event hosted by UVA. The Pirates will battle the host Cavaliers as well as Maryland and Mercer. All three matches will stream live via ACC Network Extra.

The Pirates fell just short of a perfect showing at the Quest for the Crown tournament in Norfolk last weekend, nailing down wins over Navy and Old Dominion while falling in five sets to Notre Dame. Freshman Angeles Alderete continued her fantastic debut campaign by earning All-Tournament Team accolades. She averaged 5.38 points and 4.92 kills per set with a .312 hitting percentage. Alderete exploded for a career-high 26 kills against the Fighting Irish.

Currently, East Carolina ranks second among American Athletic Conference squads in aces per set (1.79) and blocks per set (2.62) and slots fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.202). Individually, Alderete is fourth in kills per set (4.09) and points per set (4.68) while Shaylynn Hall checks in second in blocks per set (1.30).

About Virginia
Virginia is off to a 6-2 start under second-year head coach Shannon Wells, picking up wins over East Tennessee State, North Florida, Xavier, IPFW, Eastern Michigan and Charlotte. The Cavaliers' only two losses are to then No. 15 Florida and on the back half of a weekend doubleheader against the 49ers. Grace Turner leads the way on offense, having collected 109 kills (3.30 per set), while Abby Tadder is averaging 2.39 kills per set and owns a team-high .400 hitting percentage. Madison Morey anchors the back row, putting up 3.91 digs per set. Collectively, the Cavaliers are averaging 12.91 kills, 11.91 assists, 1.55 aces, 12.91 digs and 1.88 blocks per set to go along with a stout .243 hitting percentage.

The Virginia Series
East Carolina and Virginia have split eight meetings on the volleyball court, but the Cavaliers have captured the last four, including a three-set victory at the Jefferson Cup back on Sept. 2, 2011. The Pirates are 0-3 in Charlottesville. ECU seeks its first victory over UVA since 1982.

Scouting Maryland
Maryland carries a 6-3 overall record into the weekend with wins over Rhode Island, Navy, Georgetown, Stony Brook, San Diego State and Sacramento State as well as setbacks to Florida Gulf Coast, South Florida and Arizona. The Terrapins lead the nation in blocks per set (3.21) and feature three players averaging at least 1.09 (Rainelle Jones/1.72). On the offensive end, Sam Csire has put down a team-best 110 kills (3.24 per set) with a .210 hitting percentage. As a team, Maryland check in at 11.35 kills, 10.32 assists, 2.15 aces and 12.26 digs per set and are hitting .245. Adam Hughes was elevated to head coach of the program on Jan. 23, 2018 and is entering his fifth season at the helm in 2022.

The Maryland Series
East Carolina has come up empty against Maryland on three previous occasions, but the squads have not encountered each other since Sept. 16, 2000 when the Terrapins swept the Pirates at the Maryland Invitational in College Park.

A Look At Mercer
Mercer, led by sixth-year head coach Derek Schroeder, is 4-5 overall with triumphs over Alabama A&M, Queens University, Bethune-Cookman and SIU-Edwardsville as well as losses to Lehigh, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss, Charleston Southern and Stetson. Annie Karle, who was named to the Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference Team, paces the club in kills (126/3.94 per set) and is hitting .268. Defensively, Lexi Uhrhan has racked up 111 digs (3.47 per set) while Paige Wagers leads the Bears at the net with a 1.22 blocks per set average. Mercer is putting up 12.56 kills, 11.28 assists, 2.09 aces, 12.22 digs and 1.77 blocks per set with a .236 hitting percentage.

The Mercer Series
East Carolina is 3-1 against Mercer all time. The teams met just a couple of years ago, Sept. 6, 2019 to be exact, when the Pirates defeated the Bears in four sets at the UNF Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla.

Up Next
East Carolina begins its 20-match American Athletic Conference slate next weekend with contests at Tulsa (Sept. 23) and Wichita State (Sept. 25).

Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Shaylynn Hall

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