East Carolina found itself in a youth movement in 2002. The Pirates had two seniors and seven underclassmen on their roster. Those underclassmen grew up on the court with on-the-job training in head coach Colleen Munson's system.

"Last year's freshmen were forced to hit the ground running and had extensive playing experience in a very different environment and system of play," Munson said. "This season, our strengths are that the returning players fully understand our program's expectations."

ECU enters the 2003 season having grown up after one season. The Pirates have experience and depth, something they were lacking in 2002. ECU's younger players used the 2002 season to adjust to college competition and started to gel at the end of last season.

Seven letterwinners return, led by senior middle blocker Alexis Jones, a four-year starter. With junior sisters Sarah and Jessica Vick, the Pirates have three upperclassmen to anchor the team in 2003. ECU also returns six of its top seven kill leaders from a year ago along with its top three defensive players in Johanna Bertini, Sarah Vick and Pam Ferris who all registered over 200 digs each.

Entering her fourth season at the helm, Munson has her players understanding the direction the program is headed in. Munson's fast-paced system looks to isolate hitters and blockers and keep opponents guessing, but ECU prides itself on defense.

"Our motto is our offense is our defense," Munson said. "We work hard and play hard."

The Pirates look to do just that in 2003. ECU hopes to return to the Conference USA Tournament in 2003. The Pirates' last trip was in 2001, the first season in the conference.

Setters
Junior Jessica Vick returns to quarterback the offense for ECU. Vick finished second on the team in assists (522) in only 99 games last season. With three years under her belt, Vick has the offensive mindset to keep ECU's plan for an up-tempo style intact. Freshman Heidi Krug gives the Pirates seamless transition.

Krug has experience after playing on very competitive high school and club teams. Sophomore Erica Wilson spent time at setter last season and led the team in assists (563). At 5-11, Wilson now shifts her efforts to a role as an outside hitter.

Outside Hitters/Right Side
The most experience returning for the Pirates is at outside hitter. ECU has depth at the position led by junior Sarah Vick. A starter since her freshman season, she led the team with 306 kills and chipped in 225 digs in 2002. Sophomores Pam Ferris, Katie Jannusch, Erica Wilson, Jennifer Galimore and freshman Abigail Parker round out the group.

As a left-handed hitter, Ferris poses an immediate threat to opponents. She ranked third in kills in 2002 and tied for second on the team in digs (225).

Jannusch recorded 122 kills one season ago and will be expected to improve on those numbers. Wilson and Galimore saw limited time on the outside last season, but both made great strides during spring practices. All of ECU's outside hitters have developed a jump serve, adding versatility to the Pirates' offense .

Middles
Alexis Jones is the most experienced middle blocker entering her fourth season. Jones has great athleticism and leaping ability. She ranked second in blocks (82) on the team last season. Behind Jones is junior Paige Howell, a transfer from Pitt Community College. Nadia Payne is a red-shirt freshman who spent last season learning the system. Freshman Jamie Bevan brings a wealth of championship experience from the club and high school levels.

Libero
Sophomore Johanna Bertini returns as ECU's experienced libero. Bertini led the team with 294 digs in 2002. Behind Bertini is true freshman Caitlin Daly. Both are good defensive players that see the court very well in order to show off their passing abilities. Both know their role and can go in at any time and make a difference.

Schedule
Once again, the Pirates play a challenging schedule with three tournaments right at the beginning. ECU opens the season hosting its own tournament with matches against UNC Greensboro, Lipscomb and Radford. The Pirates also play at tournaments at Furman, Liberty and Coastal Carolina. Matches on the road at in-state rivals UNC Wilmington, Duke, Campbell and North Carolina A&T and at a home date with NC State round out the non-conference schedule.

East Carolina opens up Conference USA play at home against UAB and South Florida. The Pirates look to be successful early, before entering a rigorous C-USA schedule.

Conference
For the first time since ECU has been in the league, Conference USA should have a lot of parody. Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida and Tulane are once again expected to be the favorites fighting for the top four spots, but all graduated experienced players. Louisville and South Florida finished tied for first place during the regular season. The Bulls won the head-to-head match for the conference tournament title, and both teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The Pirates should find themselves battling the rest of the field for the remaining spots for the conference tournament. The top 12 teams advance to New Orleans for the 2003 C-USA Tournament.

"Every night is going to be a challenge, Munson said. "Everybody has gotten better. There's going to be a lot of young players on teams so it's going to be wide open."