Pirates Close Non-Conference Slate In Blacksburg

Matches 10-11: Virginia Tech Classic
Coverage	Sept. 15 \| vs. Duquesne \| 3:00 p.m. \| Live Stats Sept. 16 \| vs. Queens/at Virginia Tech \| TBD
Venue	Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, Va.)
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 4 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Off to its best start to a season since 2019, the East Carolina volleyball team wraps up non-conference play this weekend at the Virginia Tech Classic. The Pirates face off with Duquesne Friday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. before taking on either Queens University or the host Hokies at a time to be determined.

Live stats are available for both matches and ACC Network Extra will stream both of Virginia Tech's contests.

ECU (7-2) swept through the field at the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic last weekend, downing Norfolk State and UNCW in three sets before picking up a 3-1 victory over Alabama State to clinch the tournament title. Senior right side Fran McBride was named the Seahawk Classic MVP while sophomore middle blocker Carlia Northcross and freshman middle blocker Farah Farooq were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team. Northcross posted a 1.40 blocks per set average over the three matches to earn American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll recognition.

Speaking of Northcross, she enters the weekend atop the league in hitting percentage (.385) and is fifth in blocks per set (1.30). Sophomore outside hitter Angeles Alderete also slots ninth in aces per set (0.40). Collectively, East Carolina tops the conference in both hitting percentage (.263) and opposing hitting percentage (.127) and is third in kills per set (12.80) and points per set (17.07) as well as fourth in blocks per set (2.40) and aces per set (1.87).

With one weekend to go before American Conference play commences, the Pirates are tied with Temple atop the East Division standings with Florida Atlantic (7-3) and Charlotte (5-5) also chasing first place. ECU and Temple also own the top overall record in the league.

A Look At Duquesne
Duquesne arrives in Blacksburg with a 5-1 record that is comprised of wins over Saint Peter's, Merrimack, Canisius (twice) and Robert Morris as well as a loss to Binghamton. The Dukes are hitting .263 as a team, averaging 14.52 kills, 13.48 assists, 1.65 aces, 15.30 digs and 1.87 blocks per set. Avery Hobson has collected a team-high 89 kills (3.87 per set) while Chloe Wilmot is putting up 11.78 assists per set. Defensively, Madison Grimm has anchored the back row to the tune of 89 digs (3.87 per set) and Morgan Gish is chipping in with a squad-best 1.10 blocks per set (23 total).

The Duquesne Series
East Carolina and Duquesne have met just once on the volleyball court, a 3-1 victory for the Dukes back on Sept. 1, 1995, at the Towson State Invitational in Towson, Md.

Scouting Queens
Queens is 2-7 overall with wins over Stonehill College and Northern Illinois as well as losses to USC Upstate, Morehead State, Davidson, UNCW, The Citadel, Marshall and Furman. The Royals enter the weekend hitting .109 collectively and averaging 10.22 kills, 9.53 assists, 1.72 aces, 17.69 digs and 1.53 blocks per set. Alleigh Johnson paces the Queens offensive efforts with 77 kills (2.41 per set) with Kendall Buish running things at setter, putting up 7.63 assists per set (244 total). Jesse George leads the back row with 144 digs (4.50 per set) while Kayla McDuffie owns a squad-best 21.0 blocks (0.66 per set).

The Queens Series
Queens is in its second season as an NCAA Division I club. As such, ECU has never faced the Royals on the volleyball court.

About Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has rolled through its non-conference slate, racking up a 9-0 record with wins over Morgan State, Quinnipiac, Furman, Memphis, Toldeo, Youngstown State, Lehigh, Delaware State and Fairleigh Dickinson. The Hokies are firing at a .277 offensive clip, averaging out at 13.07 kills, 11.63 assists, 1.73 aces, 14.13 digs and 2.27 blocks per set. Ava Francis tops the club with a 3.53 kills per set mark while setter Hanna Borer is chipping in with 10.30 assists per set. Ilian Rodriguez paces the defensive efforts with 129 digs (4.30 per set) to go along with Cara Lewis' 31.0 blocks (1.03 per set).

The Virginia Tech Series
East Carolina is 3-6 against Virginia Tech in the teams' series history but has not faced off with the Hokies since Sept. 4, 2009 - a 3-0 Virginia Tech win in Blacksburg.

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 - 7-2 (.778) // AAC Record - 0-0 (.000) // Last 5 Matches - 4-1 (.800) // Last 10 Matches - 0-0 (.000) // Last 15 Matches - 0-0 (.000) // ECU will play the 83rd match of the Adler Augustin era when it faces Duquesne Friday afternoon. // The Pirates' all-time record stands at 563-857 as the program is in its 46th season of competition.

Up Next
East Carolina officially opens its American Athletic Conference slate with a home match against Wichita State Sept. 20. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Farah Farooq

Fran McBride

Carlia Northcross

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