Pirates Head to Charlotte for Rematch, Host Florida Atlantic Sunday

Matches 17&18: East Carolina (11-5, 4-0 American) vs. Charlotte (4-11, 1-3 American) and FAU (9-6, 2-2 American)
Coverage	Oct. 7 \| 6:00 p.m. ET \| Watch \| Live Stats Oct. 11 \| 1:00 p.m. ET \| Watch (Dylan Johnson (PxP) Jennings Hall (Color)) \| Live Stats
Venue	Charlotte, N.C. \| Dale F. Halton Arena \| Greenville, N.C. \| Minges Coliseum
Match Notes	East Carolina \| Charlottle \| FAU
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #GoPirates

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team looks to extend its five-game winning streak and build on its 4-0 conference start when it travels to Charlotte to take on the 49ers on Wednesday, October 7, before returning to Greenville to face the Florida Atlantic Owls on Sunday, October 12.

Wednesday's match is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, while Sunday's match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday's match will stream on ESPN+, and Sunday's match will be streaming on ecupirates.com.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates are off to a 4-0 start in American Conference play, the best conference start in program history.

ECU beat North Texas and UTSA last week, both in straight sets, to extend its winning streak to five. In Friday's match against the Mean Green, Ekwe Anwah set a career-high with nine kills.

The ECU defense amassed nine total blocks while limiting North Texas to a .239 hitting percentage. The Pirates also took advantage of 12 service aces by North Texas, compared to only five for East Carolina.

Despite North Texas finding an opening to tally 12 service aces, compared to the Pirates' five, ECU steadied and forced the Mean Green into 21 attack errors.

In Sunday's match against the Roadrunners, the Pirates dominated from start to finish, hitting .481 in the second set and .542 in the third for a total of .420.

Kai Bailey led the way with 10 kills, and the ECU offense relied on a balanced attack, as three Pirates had seven kills and five Pirates had at least five kills. The Pirates' defense reigned supreme with six blocks while limiting UTSA to a .145 hitting percentage.

NINERS ROUND TWO
Charlotte will be the first team the Pirates face for the second time this season on Wednesday, after ECU swept the 49ers 3-0 in Greenville on September 23. Ellie Pate totaled 13 kills against Charlotte, while a balanced offensive attack saw four Pirates register double-digit kills.

Aulie Huff and Kai Bailey were East Carolina's most efficient attackers, with Huff logging 10 kills on only one error for a .450 hitting percentage, while Bailey had 10 kills on 16 attacks for a .438 hitting percentage.

Ellie Pate also registered a double-double for ECU with 13 kills and 11 digs. The Pirate defense amassed six blocks and limited the 49ers to a sub -.100 hitting percentage.

IN THE AMERICAN
For the first time in program history, ECU is 4-0 in American Conference play, tied with Tulane and Tulsa.

Offensively, ECU ranks top five in the American in hitting percentage (fourth, .238); defensively, Pirates rank top five in opponent hitting percentage (fourth, .191) and blocks per set (third, 2.23).

Additionally, ECU currently leads the conference in opponent service aces per set at .95, one of only two teams below one.

Individually, Kai Bailey ranks top five in hitting percentage at .338, and Ellie Pate is second in kills at 3.70 per set. Taryn Gilreath ranks third in the league in assists per set at almost 10. Bailey is also making an impact on the defensive side, ranking fourth in the league in blocks with 1.09 per set.

For her efforts last week, Bailey earned American Conference Honorable Mention selection in a league announcement on October 4. Across the two wins against North Texas and UTSA, Bailey totaled 13 kills.

SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Charlotte enters Wednesday's match at 4-11 overall and 1-3 in American Conference play after picking up their first conference win of the season on October 4.

Offensively, Clara Briley and Mariam Mushkudiani lead the 49ers, while Sofia Locadia and Milan Cannon lead the way defensively with 56 and 48 blocks on the season, respectively.

Last season inside Halton Arena, Charlotte beat East Carolina in four sets, 3-1. Ellie Pate had 18 kills and six digs to lead East Carolina in defeat. On Wednesday, ECU will look to sweep the season series for the second time in three seasons. Charlotte is led by second-year head coach Benavia Jenkins.

ABOUT FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Before Sunday's match in Greenville, Florida Atlantic will stop in Philadelphia to play Temple on Friday. Currently sitting 9-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play, FAU enters the second quarter of its conference slate off after a 1-1 result last week, holding victory against Temple and ultimately falling to Rice.

The Owls are led by Anna Hartman, Olivia Hart and Sequoia Layne, who all average more than two kills per set. Defensively, Layne and Libby Ashline are the Owls' biggest blockers. FAU is led by head coach Fernanda Nelson, who is in her 15th season at Florida Atlantic. She has amassed a 218-182 (.545) record throughout her tenure in Boca Raton. The Owls and the Pirates met twice last season, with FAU winning both matches. The Owls defeated the Pirates in Boca Raton in three sets before earning a four-set victory in Greenville two weeks later.

UP NEXT
East Carolina hits the road to Alabama to take on the UAB Blazers on Friday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Pirates Head to Charlotte for Rematch, Host Florida Atlantic Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Ekwe Anwah

Kai Bailey

Taryn Gilreath

Aulie Huff

Ellie Pate

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