East Carolina Set For Test Against AAC Leader SMU

Match 25: SMU (18-6, 12-1 AAC) at East Carolina (18-6, 9-4 AAC)
Coverage	November 3 \| vs. SMU \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venue	Greenville, N.C. \| Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (7,100)
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 12 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina returns home to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Friday night, welcoming in American Athletic Conference leader SMU for a bout between two of the top four teams in the league. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the match will stream live via ESPN+.

The Pirates (18-6, 9-4 AAC) had their chances to record two big road wins against AAC West Division opponents Rice and Tulsa last weekend but saw late fifth set leads slip away in a pair of 3-2 losses to the Owls and Golden Hurricane. Despite the setbacks, ECU still maintains a 1.5 match advantage over South Florida for first place in the East Division as the regular season winds down to its conclusion. The Pirates have six matches to go as they jockey for the division title as well as a possible postseason bid to the NCAA Tournament or NIVC.

East Carolina enters its showdown with the Mustangs ranked in the top five among AAC squads in several statistical categories. The Pirates are second in opponent hitting percentage (.155), third in both hitting percentage (.239) and blocks per set (2.43) as well as fifth in points per set (16.55), digs per set (15.27) and service aces per set (1.53). Sophomore middle blocker Carlia Northcross slots second in blocks per set (1.18) while senior setter Julianna Askew is seventh in aces per set (0.36) and junior libero Lara Uyar sits 10th in digs per set (3.78).

The Pirates are 7-3 inside Minges Coliseum this season with wins over Campbell, Bethune-Cookman, Florida Atlantic, Tulane, North Texas and Memphis (twice).

Scouting SMU
SMU (18-6, 12-1 AAC) swept aside UAB and South Florida last weekend in Dallas to tighten its hold on the top spot in the conference standings and the race for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs handled both opponents rather easily, holding the Blazers and Bulls under 20 points in each set. SMU ranks in the top three in the league in most statistical categories, pacing the circuit in points per set (17.33) while slotting second in hitting percentage (.249), assists per set (12.55) and kills per set (13.67) as well as third in digs per set (16.07). Individually, Celia Cullen leads the AAC in assists per set (10.30) while Emma Clothier checks in at third in hitting percentage (.395). The Mustangs are 7-2 on the road this season with wins over Florida State, UTSA (twice), Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Tulsa (twice) and losses to Nebraska and Purdue. Sam Erger is in her second season as head coach at SMU and holds a 40-16 record at the institution.

The SMU Series
SMU leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 19-5 margin. The Mustangs recorded a pair of 3-0 victories over the Pirates last season and have won the last five meetings. ECU's last victory over SMU occurred Sept. 30, 2018 in Greenville in a 3-1 decision.

East Carolina Picked To Finish Second In AAC East Division
The Pirates were 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
Overall Record - 18-6 (.750) // AAC Record - 9-4 (.692) // Last 5 Matches - 3-2 (.600) // Last 10 Matches - 7-3 (.700) // Last 15 Matches - 11-4 (.733) // ECU will play the 98th match of the Adler Augustin era when it hosts SMU Friday evening. // The Pirates' all-time record stands at 574-860 with the program in its 46th season of competition.

Up Next
East Carolina makes the trip to Tampa Nov. 9-10 for a pair of key American Athletic Conference matches with South Florida at The Corral. The Pirates and Bulls kick off the set Thursday at 6 p.m. before wrapping things up Friday at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Julianna Askew

Carlia Northcross

Lara Uyar

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