Oct. 16, 2009

ECU Volleyball Gameday Central

Complete Match Notes in PDF Format

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina volleyball team returns home after a four-match road swing, hosting UTEP at Minges Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m. Both teams look to snap four-game league winless streaks.

The Pirates are currently tied for 11th with Memphis in the C-USA standings, two games back of Houston for the eighth and final spot to qualify the league tournament. UTEP resides in 10th-place with a 2-5 C-USA ledger, just one game back of the Cougars.

Looking Back: East Carolina dropped three-set decisions at Memphis and UAB last weekend, hitting just .127 in the contests, while tallying only 52 digs in six sets for an average of 8.6. The Pirates also notched 9.8 kills a set, well under their 11.84 average. Redshirt sophomore Britney Roper led the offense, tallying 21 kills in six sets for an average of 3.5 per frame.

About the Competition: UTEP enters the weekend off of two home losses to UCF and Southern Miss last weekend, both in four-set decisions. Amy Sanders paces the Miner offense, as she has collected 235 kills. Defensively, Jennifer Nolasco has picked up 235 digs for an average of 3.31 per set. Additionally, UTEP leads the league in blocking, averaging 2.44 blocks a frame.

UTEP: The Series:
UTEP owns a 4-2 advantage in six meetings with East Carolina. The teams have split the only four regular season contests while the Miners have picked up victories over the Pirates in the quarterfinals of the 2005 C-USA Tournament and the first round of the 2006 event.

Arriving at the Top:
Despite dropping both matches last weekend, some Pirates did enough to stay in the ECU career top 10 ledgers. Senior Hannah Fenker turned in 47 assists, remaining in eighth on the assists chart as she now owns 1,726. Fenker and classmate Stephanie Turner also find themselves ranked ninth and 10th on the digs list with 928 and 919, respectively. Offensively, Turner resides in 10th for kills, putting down a total of 884.

.200 or Better:
If the Pirates have compiled a .200-plus hitting percentage in 2009, they have been unstoppable, racking up a 7-0 record. In two of those contests, East Carolina has surpassed the .400 plateau, firing at .442 and .434 clips against Savannah State and Winston-Salem State, respectively.

Diggin' It:
It is a widely held mantra that defense wins championships. For the Pirates in 2009, it also means winning games during the season as ECU owns a 7-0 mark when out-digging its opponents. In four of the victories, the Pirates have surpassed 40 (UNC Asheville 45, St. John's 58, Campbell 72, UNCW 76).

A Good Start Is Essential:
Just as breakfast is a good start to a day, the Pirates winning the first set of a match has proven quite beneficial. When taking the first frame this season, East Carolina is 7-1.

Printer-friendly format	Email this article