East Carolina Returns Home For Two-Match AAC Set With Florida Atlantic

Matches 15-16: Florida Atlantic (9-7, 1-2 AAC) at East Carolina (11-3, 2-1 AAC)
Coverage	Sept. 29 \| vs. Florida Atlantic \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Sept. 30 \| vs. Florida Atlantic \| Noon \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum \| Greenville, N.C.
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

Weekly Release No. 7 (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Fresh off two road wins at UAB, East Carolina kicks off a four-match homestand with two matches against American Athletic Conference newcomer Florida Atlantic. The Pirates and Owls do battle Friday (Sept. 29) at 6 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend with another encounter Saturday at Noon. Both contests will stream live via ESPN+.

ECU (11-3, 2-1 AAC) heads into the weekend tied for first in the American Conference East Division with South Florida. The Pirates swept aside the Blazers last Saturday in Birmingham before surviving a UAB rally Sunday to emerge victorious in five sets. With the triumph, East Carolina improved to 4-1 in true road matches this campaign.

The Pirates slot among the league leaders in several categories, leading the conference in hitting percentage (.252) as well as ranking second in both opponent hitting percentage (.142) and service aces per set (1.82). ECU also checks in at fourth in points per set (16.78) and fifth in blocks per set (2.29). Individually, sophomore middle blocker Carlia Northcross is third in blocks per set (1.23) while sophomore outside hitter Angeles Alderete ranks eighth in kills per set (3.04) and 10th in aces per set (0.37).

Scouting Florida Atlantic
American Athletic Conference newcomer Florida Atlantic (9-7 overall) is off to a 1-2 start to its league campaign, falling to North Texas 3-0 on the road back on Sept. 20 before splitting a pair of four-set decisions at home with Temple last weekend. The Owls own the top spot in the AAC statistical rankings in kills per set (13.69), points per set (17.49) and assists per set (12.80) while ranking fifth in hitting percentage (.228) and service aces per set (1.76). Lauryn Green and Madison Dyer slot ninth and 10th in the conference in hitting percentage with respective .331 and .301 marks to go along with Victoria Hensley's sixth-place ranking in assists per set (8.04). Isabella Northam is also sixth in digs per set (4.25).

The Florida Atlantic Series
Florida Atlantic defeated East Carolina in five sets at Minges Coliseum during the 2013 season when both institutions were members of Conference USA. The Pirates departed the league for the newly-formed American Athletic Conference the following campaign.

By The Slimmest Of Margins
Of East Carolina's 14 set losses this season, nine have occurred by just two points. Conversely, the Pirates have won 35 sets and have captured 30 of them by more than two 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 - 11-3 (.786) // AAC Record - 2-1 (.667) // Last 5 Matches - 4-1 (.800) // Last 10 Matches - 8-2 (.800) // Last 15 Matches - 0-0 (.000) // ECU will play the 88th match of the Adler Augustin era when it hosts Florida Atlantic Friday evening. // The Pirates' all-time record stands at 567-858 with the program is in its 46th season of competition.

Up Next
East Carolina continues its four-match homestand Friday, Oct. 6, when it hosts Tulane in an American Athletic Conference match inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

East Carolina Returns Home For Two-Match AAC Set With Florida Atlantic

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Carlia Northcross

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