Pirates Stay Undefeated in Conference in Victory Against North Texas

Friday, October 2

Greenville, N.C.

6:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

10-5,3-0American

North Texas

8-6,1-2American

Team	1	2	3	Final F
North Texas	28	21	20	0
East Carolina	30	25	25	3

Pirates Stay Undefeated in Conference in Victory Against North Texas

October 02, 2026 | Volleyball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. — East Carolina volleyball picked up their third straight American Conference win, extending a four-game win streak, sweeping North Texas 3-0 on Friday night inside Williams Arena at Minges, defeating the Mean Green, 30-28, 25-21, 25-20.

The Pirates improved to 10-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play, the best Pirate start in conference in program history.

SET ONE: NORTH TEXAS 28, EAST CAROLINA 30
The Pirates came out firing in the opening set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead behind kills from Ellie Pate and Aulie Huff and a pair of service aces from Angeles Alderete. North Texas responded with a run of its own, eventually trimming the deficit and turning the set into a back-and-forth battle.

ECU maintained the advantage through the middle stages before the Mean Green rallied late. North Texas erased a 23-21 deficit and scored three straight points to take a 24-23 lead, forcing ECU to battle through set point.

The Pirates answered with a kill from Ekwe Anwah to tie the set at 24-all before the teams traded points deep into extra time. In an attack error from the Mean Green, the Pirates came out on top to end the match 30-28.

Pate led ECU with seven kills in the opening frame, while Huff added four and Anwah recorded two. The Pirates hit .167 as a team in the first set and recorded four team blocks.

SET TWO: NORTH TEXAS 21, EAST CAROLINA 25
North Texas grabbed an early advantage in the second set, but ECU quickly settled in and kept the score close.

The set remained tightly contested, with neither team able to pull away through the middle portion. ECU eventually created separation late, using a four-point run to turn an 18-17 advantage into a 22-17 lead.

North Texas attempted to fight back, but ECU held firm. Pate and Anwah each recorded key kills down the stretch, and Anwah closed the set with another kill as the Pirates secured a 25-21 win and took a 2-0 lead in the match.

Anwah was held efficient in the second set, recording six kills on eight attacks without an error for a .750 hitting percentage. ECU hit .312 as a team in the frame.

SET THREE: NORTH TEXAS 20, EAST CAROLINA 25
The Mean Green opened the third set with an early lead, but ECU quickly answered. After North Texas took a 4-1 advantage, the Pirates battled back to tie the set at 7-7.

The teams continued to trade points throughout the middle of the frame before ECU began to create some separation. With the score tied at 16, the Pirates rattled off three consecutive points to take a 19-16 advantage.

North Texas pulled within two at 21-19, but ECU responded with a late push.

A service ace from Taryn Gilreath helped the Pirates move within two points of the victory, and Pate followed with a kill to make it 24-20. The Mean Green's final attack hit straight back in the net, giving ECU the 25-20 set victory and completing the 3-0 sweep.

Pate finished the night with 13 kills, while Anwah added a career high of nine kills and hit .562. Huff contributed nine kills, and Gilreath orchestrated the ECU offense with 30 assists. The Pirates totaled nine team blocks, with Pate and Kai Bailey tallying five block assists each. Although being outhit by the Mean Green, North Texas totaled 21 attack errors and 12 service errors that added up in their defeat.

The match had a total of 23 tied scores and six different lead changes.

The Pirates overcome two of three Texas teams in the American and look forward to the third match against UTSA on Sunday, October 4. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.