Pirates Fight in Five in Come From Behind Victory against App. State

Friday, September 4

Clemson, S.C.

2:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

4-0,0-0American

Appalachian State

2-2,0-0Sun Belt

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
East Carolina	25	20	17	25	15	3
App State	20	25	25	22	12	2

Pirates Fight in Five in Come From Behind Victory against App. State

September 04, 2026 | Volleyball

Box Score

CLEMSON, S.C. - The East Carolina Pirates set the tone in their come-from-behind victory against Appalachian State, forcing a fifth set to keep their four-game winning streak alive. Taryn Gilreath earned her first double-double of the season with 38 assists and 10 digs.

SET ONE: APP STATE 20, EAST CAROLINA 25
The Pirates started hot, taking the lead with the first kill of the game by Ellie Pate.

App. State started to chip away at the Pirates, taking an early four-point lead and holding it until Aulie Huff sparked a 7-0 run for the Pirates. That momentum was enough to give the Pirates the first set.

Angeles Alderate had five kills and two block assists, with Pate close behind at three kills. The Pirates held the Mountaineers to an astounding .051 hitting percentage, compared to their .296 in the set.

SET TWO: APP STATE 25, EAST CAROLINA 20
App State then took control in set two. Although the set featured three ties, the Mountaineers battled back with a .233 hitting percentage and forced the Pirates to a .027.

App. State had six block assists with 3.0 total team blocks to force some attack errors on the Pirates.

SET THREE: APP STATE 25, EAST CAROLINA 17
Carrying momentum from the second set, the Mountaineers built their biggest lead of the match.

The Mountaineers had two crucial back-to-back scoring runs at the beginning of the set that solidified a comfortable lead, with the Pirates unable to catch up.

The Pirates totaled ten kills and a service ace, but they managed only an .081 hitting percentage compared to App. State's over .300 mark in the set.

SET FOUR: APP STATE 22, EAST CAROLINA 25
The Pirates then kicked it into gear, showing they would not go down without a fight.

Although App State outhit the Pirates 11 to 17, ECU capitalized on the Mountaineers' mistakes.

Huff and Pate totaled seven kills of the Pirates' 11, with Huff having a block assist to contribute to the 2.0 total blocks of the set.

The Mountaineers totaled 10 attack errors compared to the Pirates' four, and those mistakes came at a cost.

Gilreath and Brooklyn Allison each sparked scoring runs to tie the Pirates and help the comeback. Kai Bailey ended the set with a true kill to force set five.

SET FIVE: APP STATE 12, EAST CAROLINA 15
In their first five-set match of the season, the Pirates came out ready to compete, and so did App State. Both teams posted strong hitting percentages, with the Mountaineers at .421, but the Pirates delivered an insane performance, hitting .571 and committing no attack errors.

Pate and Gilreath contributed with three and two kills, with Aulie Huff having two service aces. The final kill came from Alderete, who totaled 10 kills on the day for the Pirates.

The Pirates fought hard against the Mountaineers, and it paid off. Huff, Pate, and Alderete all had double-digit kills, while Gilreath recorded her eighth career double-double with 38 assists and 10 digs.

Ekwe Anwah and Bailey held down the defense, both having two block solos and two block assists.

There were a total of 23 tied scores and nine lead changes.

The Pirates look ahead to Saturday, hoping to keep their win streak going against the Clemson Invitational hosts, the Clemson Tigers. The match is set for 5:00 p.m. ET and will stream on ACCN+.