Pirates Visit Asheville For Bulldog Invitational

Matches 4-6: Bulldog Invitational (at UNC Asheville)
Coverage	Sept. 5 \| vs. Furman \| 2:00 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats Sept. 5 \| at UNC Asheville \| 7:00 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats Sept. 6 \| vs. West Georgia \| 11:00 a.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats
Venues	Justice Center (Asheville, N.C.)
Match Notes	East Carolina \| UNC Asheville \| West Georgia \| Furman
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #GoPirates

Asheville, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team looks to build on its impressive opening weekend as the Pirates are slated to head to UNC Asheville to compete in the Bulldog Invitational at the Justice Center Sept. 5-6.

ECU (3-0) faces Furman (2-1) at 2 p.m. before closing out Friday against UNC Asheville (0-3) at 7 p.m. The Pirates take on West Georgia (0-3) at 11 a.m. on Saturday to conclude play at the tournament.

American Conference Honorable Mention Ellie Pate leads the way for the Pirates with 33 kills and a league best 1.22 service aces per set. The Pirates recorded 10 or more aces in each of their three matches last weekend, capped off by 13 aces against Hampton. Pate tallied a career-best five aces in two matches over the weekend while Taryn Gilreath recorded a career-high 30 assists in ECU's season-opening sweep over Florida A&M.

Looking at UNC Asheville
Bulldog Invitational host UNC Asheville enters the weekend seeking its first win of the 2025 season. The Bulldogs dropped all three of their matches last weekend, falling in three sets in each contest. Big South Preseason Team member Kylie Cackovic leads UNC Asheville in kills with 28 while fellow Big South Preseason Team member Michelle Thao leads the team in digs with 34.

The UNC Asheville Series
The series between East Carolina and UNC Asheville is tied at 2-2 with Friday evening's match being the first encounter between the two programs since Sept. 11, 2009, when ECU defeated UNC Asheville 3-1 at the Winston-Salem State Invitational. All four meetings between the two teams have been at neutral sites.

Looking at West Georgia
The Wolves enter the Bulldog Invitational seeking their first win as well, having dropped all three of their contests last weekend. Molly Brunell and Valiree Schmus lead the West Georgia's attack with 25 and 23 kills respectively while Olivia Kremer leads the team in digs with 41.

The West Georgia Series
The match between the Pirates and Wolves will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

Looking at Furman
Furman comes into the weekend at 2-1 after defeating West Georgia and Presbyterian last weekend. The Paladins are led by Preseason All-Southern Conference middle blocker Izzy Castelloe, who 28 kills and 14 total blocks on the season so far. Kennedy Seekford and Lauren Haynes lead the way in digs with 59 and 39 respectively.

The Furman Series
Furman leads the all-time series with East Carolina 10-2, but the Pirates won the last meeting back on Aug. 26, 2022, when ECU defeated Furman in four sets in the Pirate Invitational. ECU is 1-6 all-time against Furman in neutral site contests.

Up Next
East Carolina remains on the road for a third straight weekend as the Pirates face William & Mary and Liberty in the Tribe Invitational at Kaplan Arena Sept. 5-6.

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Players Mentioned

Taryn Gilreath

Ellie Pate

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