ECU Christens 2024 Campaign At Seahawk Classic

Matches 1-3: Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic (at UNCW)
Coverage	Aug. 30 \| vs. Queens University \| 11:00 a.m. \| Live Stats Aug. 30 \| at UNCW \| 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Aug. 31 \| vs. Loyola University Maryland \| 1:30 p.m. \| Live Stats
Venues	Hanover Hall (Wilmington, N.C.)
Match Notes	East Carolina \| Queens University \| UNCW \| Loyola University Maryland
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #NoQuarter

GREENVILLE, N.C. – One of collegiate volleyball's programs on the rise officially begins its 2024 season this weekend when East Carolina travels south to Wilmington for the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic. Live stats are available for all three matches while the contest with the Seahawks will stream live via FloVolleyball (paid subscription required).

The Pirates are slated to encounter Queens University, host UNCW and Loyola University Maryland at Hanover Hall during the event, beginning with a Friday morning bout with the Royals (11 a.m.). East Carolina then faces the Seahawks Friday evening (6 p.m.) before wrapping things up Saturday versus the Greyhounds at 1:30 p.m.

Head coach Adler Augustin begins his fifth season in charge after taking the helm in June of 2020 and has built the program into a contender in that short amount of time. ECU has increased its win total from nine in his first full season (Fall 2021) to 21 in 2023. Augustin also guided the Pirates to their first-ever postseason appearance last campaign as East Carolina hosted the first and second rounds of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

The Pirates return five of seven starters from a 2023 side that put together a 21-11 overall record and finished American Athletic Conference play with an 11-8 mark, slotting in a tie for sixth place in the final league standings (third in the East Division). ECU achieved the 20-win milestone for just the fifth time in program history and the first time since the 2017 squad notched 22 victories. East Carolina welcomed The Citadel, Winthrop and Georgia Southern to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for the early rounds of the NIVC as the Pirates swept the Southern Conference regular season champion Bulldogs to open the tournament before dropping a three-set decision to the Eagles in the Super 16 round.

Alderete Tabbed AAC Preseason Player of the Year
Junior outside hitter Angeles Alderete was named the 2024 American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Aug. 26. The two-time All-AAC selection is the first player in program history to earn the accolade in any conference of which the Pirates have been a member. It is her second major accolade wearing the Purple and Gold as she was crowned the AAC Freshman of the Year in 2022. An All-AAC First Team honoree a season ago, Alderete led East Carolina in kills (376), kills per set (3.19), total digs (364), points (430.5) and points per set (3.65) while ranking second in service aces (32) and digs per set (3.08). She finished the campaign ninth among league players in kills per set and points per set and notched 15 double-doubles – including an 18-kill, 11-dig effort in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) first round sweep of The Citadel which marked the Pirates' first-ever postseason victory. Alderete racked up double-digit kills in 23 contests, putting up a season-best 19 in ECU's five-set triumph at Virginia Tech.

Pirates Slotted Fourth In AAC Preseason Poll
In addition to Alderete's recognition, East Carolina was selected fourth in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering 106 points to slot behind league favorite Rice (136 points), Wichita State (127 Points) and South Florida (121 Points).

1K/1K Club
With only two collegiate playing seasons to her credit, Alderete is already within striking distance of joining the prestigious 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club at East Carolina. She requires just 133 kills and 320 digs to reach both milestones. 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.

In Season Openers
ECU holds a 25-22 record in season openers dating back to a 3-2 victory over UNC Greensboro in the program's first-ever match. The Pirates swept aside UNC Greensboro in Statesboro, Ga., in their first match of the 2023 campaign.

Clean Sweeps ...
The 2023 squad recorded 14 three-set victories or sweeps as they are called in volleyball. That mark represents the most in a single season in school history, eclipsing the 11 produced by the 2005 and 2017 Pirate teams.

...Close Calls
Despite the aforementioned 14 sweeps that played a large part in East Carolina registering its first 20-win campaign since 2017, the Pirates could have piled on more victories as they finished just 3-5 in matches that went the full five sets - including four losses in league play.

2024-25 NCAA Rule Changes
The NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committe and NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel have amended a few rules changes for the game effective in 2024. Two of the more significant alterations are as follows:

Rule 12.1.1 (Libero Designation): To allow two libero players to be designated for each set by indicating the players' numbers on the lineup sheet for the set. Only one libero is allowed on the court at a time and is only allowed to serve in one position.
Rationale: The change will allow more players the opportunity for playing time and to compete. Coaches have the discretion to determine whether or not to use two liberos.

Rule 14.2.3.2 (Successive Contacts): On a team's second hit, contacting the ball more than once with any part of the body in a single attempt to play the ball is not a fault if the ball is next contacted by a teammate.
Rationale: Through the years, officiating double contacts has sparked intense debates between coaches and officials during matches. The proposed elimination of this judgment call can bring more consistency to the game. The change will promote the continuation of play, which would make the game more entertaining for the players and fans.

11th Season in The American
East Carolina is in its 11th volleyball season as a member of the American Athletic Conference after spending 13 years as part of Conference USA. The Pirates ended up in a tie for sixth place in the conference standings in 2023 - their highest overall finish in the league since taking fourth place in 2017. ECU also collected double-digit conference wins for the second time in The American.

A Look At Queens University
Queens University, under the direction of ninth-year head coach Hannah Long, will attempt to improve on a 2023 campaign that saw the Royals put together a 4-24 overall record and 1-15 Atlantic Sun Conference mark. The top three point scorers from last year's roster return in Jordyn Johnson (233 kills/2.40 per set), Alleigh Johnson (229 kills/2.57 per set) and Kayla McDuffie (173 kills/1.75 per set). Jessie George is also back in the mix after anchoring the back row to the tune of a team-best 310 digs (3.73 per set) while rising senior Kendall Buish paced the club in assists (786) and assists per set (7.94).

The Queens University Series
The series between East Carolina and Queens enumerates just one meeting - a five-set Pirate victory back on Sept. 28, 1990 at the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C.

Scouting UNCW
UNCW finished the 2023 season with a 12-16 overall record and a 9-9 Coastal Athletic Association ledger, just missing out on the conference tournament by losing a tiebreaker to Northeastern. Dottie Hampton is in her fifth season as head coach of the Seahawk outfit and is tasked with replacing several key contributors from last year's squad. Top scorer Katie Lanz (249 kills/3.11 per set) has departed the program along with setters Belle Schall (618 assists/5.94 per set) and Morgan Galligan (456 assists/4.80 per set), libero Jadyn Berry (372 digs/3.68 per set) and middle blocker Caitlyn Callahan (89.0 blocks/0.86 per set).

The UNCW Series
UNCW leads the series with East Carolina 39-31, but the Pirates have won their last 16 encounters with the Seahawks including a 3-0 triumph last season in Wilmington at the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic.

The Book On Loyola University Maryland
Loyola University Maryland's 2023 season culminated in an 11-16 overall record and 6-10 Patriot League mark. The Greyhounds earned their way into the conference tournament before dropping a quarterfinal bout to American University. Graduate student and outside hitter Lauren Link returns for another campaign after leading the club in kills (285) and kills per set (3.28) while setters Bryanne Soares (619 assists/6.66 per set) and Kacy Sekunda (301 assists/4.56 per set) are back to run the offense. Along the back row, Rose McDermott paced the defensive efforts in digs (355/3.99 per set) a year ago while, at the net, Caitlin Churney led the team in total blocks (67.0/0.76 per set).

The Loyola University Maryland Series
East Carolina is 2-1 against Loyola University Maryland, but the teams have not played since Sept. 25, 1993 when the host Greyhounds defeated the Pirates 3-1 as part of the Loyola College Challenge.

Up Next
East Carolina makes its 2024 home debut next weekend, welcoming North Carolina A&T, Texas A&M University - Commerce and Western Carolina to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for the Pirate Invitational.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

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