Friday, September 26
Tampa, Fla.
6:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
8-4,0-1American
1
at
3
South Florida
6-7,2-0American
1
2
3
4
F
East Carolina
12
25
16
15
1
South Fla.
25
23
25
25
3
Pirates Drop American Conference Opener At South Florida, 3-1
September 26, 2025 | Volleyball
Tampa, Fla. – The East Carolina volleyball team could not snap its skid on Friday evening as the Pirates dropped their American Conference opener at South Florida 3-1.
Ellie Pate and Sydney Buchanan each had eight kills to lead the Pirates (8-4, 0-1 American) who did not have a single player reach double-digit kills in a match for the first time this season. Taryn Gilreath recorded her third straight double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs. ECU dropped to 1-4 this season when recording fewer kills than their opponent with South Florida holding a 59-28 advantage in the match.
Maria Clara Andrade led South Florida (6-7, 2-0 American) with a match-high 18 kills.
The Pirates started out with a 2-1 lead in the early stages of the first set but it would be the only lead of the set for ECU as South Florida blew the set open with a 6-0 run, forcing an early ECU timeout. ECU clawed back within three on two different occasions (7-10 and 8-11) but the Bulls went on another run to extend their lead to 23-12 before closing out the set with back-to-back kills. East Carolina dropped the first set for the fifth time in their last six matches.
At the beginning of the second set, ECU used a 4-0 spurt capped by back-to-back kills from Pate and Gilreath to take an early 5-2 lead and force the Bulls to burn one of their timeouts early. The Pirates maintained their lead for much of the set until South Florida took its first lead at 17-16 on an ace from Andrade. The Pirates stayed composed, scoring three straight to take the lead for good and evened the match on Buchanan's kill.
The third set was nearly identical to the first set with the Pirates getting off to a slow start and falling behind big early. ECU battled in the fourth set, only trailing 13-11, before South Florida got some distance with a 4-1 run as the Bulls picked up their second league win.
Up Next
East Carolina visits Florida Atlantic at noon on Sunday.
Ellie Pate and Sydney Buchanan each had eight kills to lead the Pirates (8-4, 0-1 American) who did not have a single player reach double-digit kills in a match for the first time this season. Taryn Gilreath recorded her third straight double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs. ECU dropped to 1-4 this season when recording fewer kills than their opponent with South Florida holding a 59-28 advantage in the match.
Maria Clara Andrade led South Florida (6-7, 2-0 American) with a match-high 18 kills.
The Pirates started out with a 2-1 lead in the early stages of the first set but it would be the only lead of the set for ECU as South Florida blew the set open with a 6-0 run, forcing an early ECU timeout. ECU clawed back within three on two different occasions (7-10 and 8-11) but the Bulls went on another run to extend their lead to 23-12 before closing out the set with back-to-back kills. East Carolina dropped the first set for the fifth time in their last six matches.
At the beginning of the second set, ECU used a 4-0 spurt capped by back-to-back kills from Pate and Gilreath to take an early 5-2 lead and force the Bulls to burn one of their timeouts early. The Pirates maintained their lead for much of the set until South Florida took its first lead at 17-16 on an ace from Andrade. The Pirates stayed composed, scoring three straight to take the lead for good and evened the match on Buchanan's kill.
The third set was nearly identical to the first set with the Pirates getting off to a slow start and falling behind big early. ECU battled in the fourth set, only trailing 13-11, before South Florida got some distance with a 4-1 run as the Bulls picked up their second league win.
Up Next
East Carolina visits Florida Atlantic at noon on Sunday.
Team Stats
ECU
USF
Kills
28
59
Errors
20
19
Attempts
119
142
Hitting %
.067
.282
Points
40.0
76.0
Assists
25
54
Aces
4
10
Blocks
8
7
Game Leaders
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
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