Friday, September 12
Williamsburg, Va.
7:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
at
William & Mary
Pirates Set To Conclude Road Swing At Tribe Invitational
September 11, 2025 | Volleyball
| Matches 7-8: Tribe Invitational | |
| Coverage |  Sept. 12 | at William & Mary | 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats  Sept. 13 | vs. Liberty | 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats |
| Venues | Â Kaplan Arena (Williamsburg, Va.) |
| Match Notes | Â East Carolina | William & Mary | Liberty |
| Social Media | Â Twitter | Instagram | #ECUVB #GoPirates |
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Williamsburg, Va. – The East Carolina volleyball team concludes its season-opening road swing this weekend when the Pirates invade Williamsburg to face William & Mary and Liberty in the Tribe Invitational.
ECU (6-0) is slated to take on William & Mary on Friday evening at 7 p.m. before facing Liberty on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Pirates are off to their second consecutive 6-0 start to a season as last year's team began the 2024 season 7-0. The best start to a season in the last decade for the Pirates was a 10-0 mark in 2016.
Ellie Pate leads the Pirates offensively with 72 kills and is averaging 3.6 kills per set while Aulie Huff adds 60 kills and three kills per set. Freshman Sydney Buchanan has had a strong start to her collegiate career, ranking third on the team in kills with 41. Taryn Gilreath is coming off a career weekend in assists that led to her earning American Conference Honorable Mention honors along with Kai Bailey who recorded 18 total blocks over the weekend. Carlia Northcross also had an impressive weekend defensively, recording 11 total blocks against Furman.
New Record On The Block
In ECU's 3-1 win over Furman at the Bulldog Invitational, the Pirates set a new program record for total blocks in a single match with 21. Carlia Northcross led the way with 11 total blocks while Kai Bailey and Ellie Pate each added seven total blocks. The 21 total blocks broke the previous record of 19 which the Pirates recently recorded against App State on Sept. 2, 2023, and originally set against UTEP on Nov. 11, 2006.
Looking At William & Mary
WIlliam & Mary enters the weekend with a 3-2 mark after defeating Old Dominion and UMBC in four sets but falling to Maryland in four last weekend. Katherine Arnason and Audrey Brcka lead the Tribe's attack with 52 and 51 kills respectively. Avery Horejsi is the Tribe's leader in digs with 78.
The William & Mary Series
William & Mary leads the all-time series with East Carolina 31-14, but the Pirates have won three of the last four meetings with the Tribe, including the most recent match, a Pirates sweep inside Minges on Aug. 25, 2017. The Pirates are 5-15 all-time on the road against William & Mary.
Looking at Liberty
Liberty enters the weekend with a 5-1 record after winning two of their three matches last weekend, defeating North Dakota and Coppin State but falling in four sets to West Virginia. Back-to-back Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week Paige Overcash leads the Flames with 75 kills while Carly O'Brien leads Liberty with 52 digs. Three of Liberty's victories have been sweeps while the other two were five-set wins.
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The Liberty Series
The Pirates will be seeking their first-ever win over the Flames this weekend as Liberty leads the all-time series with East Carolina 5-0. It will be the first meeting between the two teams in over a decade with the last match taking place on Aug. 28, 2010, inside Minges Coliseum.
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Up Next
East Carolina welcomes Wake Forest for its home opener on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
Williamsburg, Va. – The East Carolina volleyball team concludes its season-opening road swing this weekend when the Pirates invade Williamsburg to face William & Mary and Liberty in the Tribe Invitational.
ECU (6-0) is slated to take on William & Mary on Friday evening at 7 p.m. before facing Liberty on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Pirates are off to their second consecutive 6-0 start to a season as last year's team began the 2024 season 7-0. The best start to a season in the last decade for the Pirates was a 10-0 mark in 2016.
Ellie Pate leads the Pirates offensively with 72 kills and is averaging 3.6 kills per set while Aulie Huff adds 60 kills and three kills per set. Freshman Sydney Buchanan has had a strong start to her collegiate career, ranking third on the team in kills with 41. Taryn Gilreath is coming off a career weekend in assists that led to her earning American Conference Honorable Mention honors along with Kai Bailey who recorded 18 total blocks over the weekend. Carlia Northcross also had an impressive weekend defensively, recording 11 total blocks against Furman.
New Record On The Block
In ECU's 3-1 win over Furman at the Bulldog Invitational, the Pirates set a new program record for total blocks in a single match with 21. Carlia Northcross led the way with 11 total blocks while Kai Bailey and Ellie Pate each added seven total blocks. The 21 total blocks broke the previous record of 19 which the Pirates recently recorded against App State on Sept. 2, 2023, and originally set against UTEP on Nov. 11, 2006.
Looking At William & Mary
WIlliam & Mary enters the weekend with a 3-2 mark after defeating Old Dominion and UMBC in four sets but falling to Maryland in four last weekend. Katherine Arnason and Audrey Brcka lead the Tribe's attack with 52 and 51 kills respectively. Avery Horejsi is the Tribe's leader in digs with 78.
The William & Mary Series
William & Mary leads the all-time series with East Carolina 31-14, but the Pirates have won three of the last four meetings with the Tribe, including the most recent match, a Pirates sweep inside Minges on Aug. 25, 2017. The Pirates are 5-15 all-time on the road against William & Mary.
Looking at Liberty
Liberty enters the weekend with a 5-1 record after winning two of their three matches last weekend, defeating North Dakota and Coppin State but falling in four sets to West Virginia. Back-to-back Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week Paige Overcash leads the Flames with 75 kills while Carly O'Brien leads Liberty with 52 digs. Three of Liberty's victories have been sweeps while the other two were five-set wins.
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The Liberty Series
The Pirates will be seeking their first-ever win over the Flames this weekend as Liberty leads the all-time series with East Carolina 5-0. It will be the first meeting between the two teams in over a decade with the last match taking place on Aug. 28, 2010, inside Minges Coliseum.
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Up Next
East Carolina welcomes Wake Forest for its home opener on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
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Players Mentioned
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Right Side
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
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