East Carolina Embarks On AAC Swing Through Memphis And Birmingham

Matches 21-22: East Carolina at Memphis and UAB
Coverage	Nov. 1 \| at Memphis \| 7:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Nov. 3 \| at UAB \| 1:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venues	Larry O. Finch Center \| Memphis, Tenn. Bartow Arena \| Birmingham, Ala.
Match Notes	East Carolina \| Memphis \| UAB
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Armed with a four-match winning streak, East Carolina takes its final two-match road trip of American Athletic Conference play this weekend when it visits Memphis (7 p.m.) Friday and UAB (1 p.m.) Sunday.

Both games will stream live via ESPN+ with Jeff Brightwell on the call Friday and Lynden Blake and Sara Cowart handling broadcast duties Sunday.

ECU (14-6, 7-3 AAC) has knocked off Temple, Wichita State, Charlotte and Florida Atlantic consecutively to pull within one match of first place in the league standings behind South Florida and Rice. The top eight teams qualify for the reincarnated American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship scheduled for Nov. 22-24 in Wichita, Kan.

The Pirates have shown themselves to be one of the most consistent sides in the conference lately and have done it efficiently – ranking second among the AAC leaders in both hitting percentage (.231) and opponent hitting percentage (.181). East Carolina is also fifth on the circuit in digs per set (15.15) and sixth in assists per set (11.77). If there is room for improvement, it is in performances away from home as the Pirates are just 2-3 in league contests outside of Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

After missing a large portion of the AAC schedule due to injury, junior middle blocker Carlia Northcross is back in the mix and played a big role in the wins over Wichita State and FAU – averaging 1.88 blocks per set and putting up a .421 hitting percentage. She is up to third in the league statistical rankings in blocks per set (1.17) while graduate student right side hitter Fran McBride is fourth in hitting percentage (.339) and senior libero Lara Uyar slots fifth in digs per set (3.76).

ECU is one of five American Conference teams that reside in the top 100 of the NCAA RPI ranking, joining Rice (34), South Florida (69), Wichita State (75) and Tulsa (78). The Pirates are 97th on the list.

The Book On Memphis
Memphis (10-12, 4-6 AAC) is right in the thick of the race for one of the eight spots in the conference tournament, sitting in ninth place. The Tigers lurk just one match back of Florida Atlantic, Tulane and North Texas for sixth after dropping a five setter at Wichita State and falling in three at Tulsa last weekend. Memphis has been a tough serving side all season, currently pacing the league in aces per set (1.85). The Tigers also slot fourth in digs per set (15.57). Jordan Heatherly ranks among the AAC statistical leaders in both aces per set (second/0.46) and assists per set (third/9.43) while Abigail Schlueter is third in digs per set (4.27). Memphis has picked up three wins at home in AAC play, knocking off UAB, Charlotte and Temple.

The Memphis Series
Memphis leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 24-13 count, though the Pirates have experienced recent success in winning the last three meetings and 10 of the last 16 dating back to 2014. ECU swept the season series in Greenville last year and also emerged victorious in a five setter the last time it visited the Bluff City (Nov. 13, 2022).

Examining UAB
UAB (8-13, 3-7 AAC) looks to make its move in the standings with the regular season winding down as the Blazers occupy 11th place along with Temple. Last weekend, UAB was swept at Tulsa Friday before dropping a four-set decision at Wichita State Sunday. The Blazers are third in the league in aces per set (1.67) and have earned that ranking collectively as UAB does not feature an individual on the conference's top 10 list. Jorda Crook heads up the offensive efforts as she is third in the league in points per set (4.17) and fourth in kills per set (3.58). UAB is 3-2 at home in AAC play with wins over Temple, Charlotte and Tulane.

The UAB Series
UAB leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 17-7 margin but most of those encounters occurred when both institutions were members of Conference USA. The Pirates swept the season series last year in Birmingham with consecutive 3-0 and 3-2 victories.

1K/1K Club
A little more than halfway through her third collegiate season, Angeles Alderete is within striking distance of joining the prestigious 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club at East Carolina. She requires just 82 digs to reach the milestone after collecting her 1,000th kill in the win over North Texas. The most recent member of the program to register the achievement is Bri Wood who collected 1,303 kills and 1,144 digs during her five seasons (2017-21) wearing the Purple and Gold. Aptly, Wood currently serves as ECU's Director of Student-Athlete Development and Life Skills.

Up Next
East Carolina returns to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Friday, Nov. 8, when it welcomes in Tulsa for an American Athletic Conference contest. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

East Carolina Embarks On AAC Swing Through Memphis And Birmingham

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Fran McBride

Carlia Northcross

Lara Uyar

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