ECU Tussles With Florida Atlantic In AAC Volleyball Championship Quarterfinal Match

2024 AAC Volleyball Championship Quarterfinals: (6) Florida Atlantic vs. (3) East Carolina
The Basics	Nov. 22 \| vs. Florida Atlantic \| 12:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch
Venues	Koch Arena (10,506) \| Wichita, Kan.
Match Notes	East Carolina \| Florida Atlantic
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

WICHITA, Kan. – No. 3 seed East Carolina makes its first appearance in a conference tournament since 2008 Friday afternoon when it faces off with sixth-seeded Florida Atlantic to open the 2024 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship inside Wichita State University's Koch Arena.

The quarterfinal contest is set for a 12 p.m. first serve and the match will stream live through ESPN+ with Dorian Craft and Alyssa Drachlin on the call.

ECU (18-8, 11-5 AAC) logged a third-place finish in the league standings, marking its highest since joining The American prior to the 2014 campaign. The 2017 squad held the previous standard which was fourth. The Pirates also registered double-digit conference wins for the second-straight year (11 in 2023) – the first time that has happened in program history.

A trio of East Carolina players earned postseason recognition by the league in Fran McBride (All-AAC First Team), Angeles Alderete (All-AAC Second Team) and Taryn Gilreath (AAC All-Freshman Team). McBride currently ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.308) while Alderete slots seventh in aces per set (0.34) and 10th in digs per set (3.23).

The Pirates have relied on a balanced offensive approach all season as three hitters have registered at least 250 kills. Ellie Pate leads the way with 256 (2.78 per set) followed by Alderete and McBride who both check in with 250 (2.66 per set). ECU has held its opponents to a league second-best .180 hitting percentage and also ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage at .237. The Pirates are also sixth in digs per set (15.05).

East Carolina is participating in a conference tournament for the first time since 2008 (Conference USA Tournament) and seeks its first conference tournament victory since sweeping SMU in the first round of the 2007 Conference USA Tournament at Marshall. The Pirates have never qualified for the NCAA Tournament but did notch their first-ever postseason appearance in 2023 when they hosted the first and second rounds of the NIVC. ECU swept The Citadel for its first-ever postseason win before losing a three-set decision to Georgia Southern in the second round.

Looking At Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic (16-12, 8-8 AAC) defeated Tulane on the final day of the regular season to clinch sixth place in the final conference standings and a third meeting with East Carolina. The Owls have proven one of the best offensive clubs in the league all season, currently sitting third on the circuit in points per set (16.84), assists per set (12.53) and kills per set (13.24) while also slotting third in opponent hitting percentage (.195) and digs per set (15.68). Victoria Hensley is the quarterback of FAU's 5-1 offense, pacing the conference in total assists (1,133) and assists per set (10.69). Defensively, Kaila Ru is a force at the net - ranking second in the league in blocks per set (1.22). The Owls are in search of their first conference tournament victory since knocking off Marshall in three sets in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. Florida Atlantic also looks to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 when it won the Atlantic Sun Conference tourney.

The Florida Atlantic Series
East Carolina defeated Florida Atlantic twice in the regular season, picking up a 3-1 win on Sept. 27 in Boca Raton before sweeping the Owls back on Oct. 25 in Greenville. The Pirates own a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series between the programs.

1K/1K Club
Nearing the conclusion of her third collegiate season, Alderete is within striking distance of joining the prestigious 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club at East Carolina. She requires just 11 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
Should East Carolina emerge victorious in its showdown with FAU, the Pirates will advance to Saturday's semifinal round where they will take on the winner of the tournament's second quarterfinal bout between No. 2 seed Rice and No. 7 seed North Texas at 12 p.m.

2024 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship
Hosted by Wichita State | Charles Koch Arena | Wichita, Kansas

Quarterfinals (Friday, November 22)
No. 6 seed Florida Atlantic vs. No. 3 seed East Carolina (12 pm ET/11 am CT)
No. 7 seed North Texas vs. No. 2 seed Rice (2:30 pm ET/1:30 pm CT)
No. 8 seed UAB vs. No. 1 seed South Florida (6 pm ET/5 pm CT)
No. 5 seed Tulsa vs. No. 4 seed Wichita State (8:30 pm ET/7:30 pm CT)

Semifinals (Saturday, November 23)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (12 pm ET/11 am CT)
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (3 pm ET/2 pm CT)

Championship Match (Sunday, November 24)
Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (1 pm ET/12 pm CT)

ECU Tussles With Florida Atlantic In AAC Volleyball Championship Quarterfinal Match

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Taryn Gilreath

Fran McBride

Ellie Pate

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