East Carolina Visits Temple For Crucial AAC Set

Matches 19-20: East Carolina at Temple
Coverage	October 13 \| at Temple \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch October 14 \| at Temple \| 1:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venue	McGonigle Hall \| Philadelphia, Pa.
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

GREENVILLE, N.C. – In possession of the best record in program history through 18 matches, East Carolina heads north to Philadelphia Oct. 13-14 for a pair of bouts with American Athletic Conference opponent Temple at McGonigle Hall. The Pirates and Owls kick off the weekend Friday at 6 p.m. before wrapping things up Saturday at 1 p.m. Both matches will stream live via ESPN+

ECU (14-4, 5-2 AAC) swept Tulane and registered a 3-1 win over North Texas last weekend to pull into a tie for first place in the AAC East Division with South Florida. The Pirates are also fourth in the overall league standings.

Sophomore outside hitter Angeles Alderete was tabbed to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 4.57 points per set, 4.00 kills per set, 3.00 digs per set and 0.57 blocks per set in the pair of victories. She currently paces the squad in kills per set and points per set while slotting sixth in the conference in points per set and eighth in kills per set. Additionally, sophomore middle blocker Carlia Northcross is second in the league in blocks per set (1.26).

East Carolina has done it with defense all season long, checking in at third on the conference circuit in opponent hitting percentage (.149) and fourth in blocks per set (2.45). The Pirates have kept it consistent on the offensive end as well, leading the league with a .251 team hitting percentage. Nationally, ECU is all the way up to 10th in opponent hitting percentage as well as 50th in hitting percentage and 51st in blocks per set.

The Pirates have been quite successful away from home in 2023, owning a 4-1 record in true road matches as well as an unblemished 5-0 mark in neutral site contests. ECU holds true road wins at UNCW, Virginia Tech and UAB (twice).

Scouting Temple
Temple (12-5, 3-3 AAC) sits two matches back of East Carolina and South Florida in third place in the AAC East Division. The Owls traveled west last weekend, falling victim to a sweep at Wichita State Friday before rebounding for a five-set win at UTSA Sunday. Temple ranks fourth in the league in both aces per set (1.63) and opposing hitting percentage (.168) but slots ninth in kills per set (12.56) and assists per set (11.56). Taylor Davenport has been Owls' offensive leader as she is second in the conference in kills per set (3.89) and points per set (4.65) while checking in eighth in aces per set (0.37). Temple has enjoyed a good bit of success at home this year, winning six of eight matches at McGonigle Hall (Iona, Long Island, Lehigh, Delaware State, Princeton and Florida Atlantic).

The Temple Series
Temple leads the series with East Carolina 10-7, but the Pirates have won seven of the last 10 encounters with the Owls - including a season series sweep in 2022. ECU is 3-5 at McGonigle Hall, winning a five setter in Philadelphia last year.

By The Slimmest Of Margins
Of East Carolina's 18 set losses this season, 10 have occurred by just two points. Conversely, the Pirates have won 45 sets and have captured 36 of them by three or more points.

Behind Enemy Lines
East Carolina's 3-2 win at Virginia Tech marked the Pirates' first road victory over a so-called "Power Five" club since Sept. 10, 2019, when ECU rallied from a 2-0 deficit to knock off NC State in five sets at Reynolds Coliseum. It was also the second win over an ACC opponent for head coach Adler Augustin who guided the Pirates to a sweep of North Carolina in the spring of 2021.

East Carolina Picked To Finish Second In AAC East Division
The Pirates have been tabbed to place second in the East Division of the American Athletic Conference this season according to a release of the preseason coaches poll Aug. 21. ECU garnered 70 points and five first-place votes, slotting just behind Memphis. The Tigers collected seven first-place votes and 72 points. Florida Atlantic and Temple tied for third place in the division, followed by South Florida, UAB and Charlotte. SMU is the favorite in the West Division and earned seven votes to win the overall regular season title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Rice, the 2022 Conference USA Tournament champion, received six votes to take the regular season crown.

ECU At-A-Glance
Record - 14-4 (.778) // AAC Record - 5-2 (.714) // Last 5 Matches - 4-1 (.800) // Last 10 Matches - 8-2 (.800) // Last 15 Matches - 12-3 (.800) // ECU will play the 92nd match of the Adler Augustin era when it visits Temple Friday evening. // The Pirates' all-time record stands at 570-859 with the program is in its 46th season of competition.

Up Next
East Carolina returns home for a two-match AAC set against Memphis inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Carlia Northcross

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