ECU Kickstarts 2023 Campaign With Home Exhibition Match Against Elon

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team continues prep work for the 2023 campaign when it hosts Elon for an exhibition contest Thursday night inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. First serve is set for 6 p.m. The match will not be streamed but admission is free of charge.

The Pirates, who finished the 2022 season at 12-20 overall record and 7-13 in American Athletic Conference play, welcome nine newcomers to the fold – including a pair of transfer student-athletes. The squad is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Adler Augustin.

Experience abounds in the 2023 iteration of the program as ECU is set to return the bulk of its production offensively and along the back row. The Pirates retained over 70 percent of last year's statistical output in five categories – kills (74.9), assists (96.3), service aces (77.2), digs (78.6) and points (71.8).

Back for her second season in the Purple and Gold, Angeles Alderete enjoyed a debut season to remember. She became the second player in program history to earn AAC Freshman of the Year honors and was tabbed to the All-American Conference Second Team after racking up 501 kills (4.07 per set), 321 digs (2.61) per set and a .223 hitting percentage. Aldrerete was the first East Carolina player to notch 500 kills in a campaign since Kelley Wernert in 2007 while also slotting third in the league rankings in kills per set and points per set (4.56).

Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Izzy Marinelli also proved a key offensive option in 2022, ranking second on the team in kills (282) and kills per set (2.39). She logged double-digit kills in 15 matches, including seven of the last eight. Her career-high 18 kills spurred ECU to a five-set victory over Cincinnati – the first Pirate win over the Bearcats since 2017.

East Carolina's 6-2 offense was executed by a pair of returning setters in senior Julianna Askew and junior Payton Evenstad. The duo combined for 1,121 assists while Evenstad finished 2022 ranked 10th in the league in assists per set (5.08). Askew enters the new season with 3,300 career assists and a team-best 23 double-doubles.

Defensively, junior Kenzie Beckham returns as the team's leading performer as she finished the 2022 campaign fifth in the American Conference in digs per set (3.85). Classmate Tia Shum is also back after missing last season due to injury.

Sophomore middle blocker Carlia Northcross provided some key moments during her rookie year, averaging 0.85 blocks per set and starting 19 matches. She improved greatly throughout the season and into AAC play, posting a personal-best 11 kills and a .550 hitting percentage against Tulane before logging five kills and six blocks in a win over Tulsa - just the third victory over the Golden Hurricane in program history.

The Pirates added a pair of Division I transfers during the offseason. Right side Fran McBride joins the team after playing three seasons at Mississippi State while defensive specialist Lara Uyar began her collegiate career at fellow American Athletic Conference institution Wichita State.

Elon put together a 13-14 overall record and 10-7 conference mark in 2022 before falling to Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament quarterfinals. The league has since rebranded itself as the Coastal Athletic Association. Head Coach Mary Tendler looks to replace four players who started 14 or more matches last season, including Leah Daniel who paced the club in kills (379).

ECU Kickstarts 2023 Campaign With Home Exhibition Match Against Elon

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Julianna Askew

Kenzie Beckham

Payton Evenstad

Izzy Marinelli

Fran McBride

Carlia Northcross

Tia Shum

Lara Uyar

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