Pirates Drop 3-0 Decision To Gamecocks In Columbia

Tuesday, September 17

Columbia, S.C.

6:30 p.m.

East Carolina University

7-1

South Carolina

8-2

East Carolina

South Carolina

September 17, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. – East Carolina never quite found its footing Tuesday evening, falling to host South Carolina 3-0 (20-25, 9-25, 9-25) in a non-conference matchup inside the Carolina Volleyball Center.

The Pirates (7-1) allowed the Gamecocks (8-2) to hit .507 on 46 kills while firing at just .158 efficiency themselves. South Carolina also held the upper hand in aces (7-1), assists (43-24) and digs (36-20) while ECU ended up winning the total blocks battle by a 6.0-5.0 margin.

Ellie Pate put down a team-best nine kills while Fran McBride continued her strong campaign by hitting .500 with seven kills in 12 attempts with no errors. Taryn Gilreath experienced her first collegiate action in the Pirates' 6-2 offense, tallying eight assists and two digs. The Gamecocks' Riley Whitesides paced all players with 18 kills while hitting .615 and adding six digs.

East Carolina stayed close through much of the first stanza, working its way to an 18-18 deadlock. However, South Carolina scored three straight to seize control for good and won the first set by five.

The Pirates were unable to slow the Gamecock offense the rest of the way, eventually dropping the second and third frames and the match in three.

Up Next: ECU continues its run against some of the nation's best teams as the Pirates face off with No. 1 Pittsburgh Friday night inside Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. First sever against the Panthers is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will stream live via ACC Network Extra.