DURHAM, N.C. – The ECU volleyball team put itself back in the win column Tuesday evening, picking up a 3-0 (25-15, 25-9, 25-19) non-conference victory over N.C. Central inside McDougald-McClendon Arena. The Pirates swept the home-and-home season series with the Eagles after downing NCCU in three sets back on Sept. 19 in Greenville.
Team Records: ECU (16-9) | N.C. Central (3-17)
ECU committed a season-low seven errors and racked up 49 kills to hit a season-best .424 – the fifth-highest single-match hitting percentage in program history. The Pirates also tallied 50 digs and six total blocks while limiting NCCU to 26 kills, 38 digs, two blocks and a .092 hitting mark.
Senior outside hitter
Lael Ceriani posted a match-high 11 kills and a .476 hitting percentage while senior outside hitter
Ashton Mares and sophomore middle hitter
Toya Osuegbu chipped in with 10 kills apiece. Mares also recorded 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Da'Nesha Miller accounted for 11 kills and eight digs to pace the Eagles.
Torbett's Take: "It was nice for us to step out of conference play and put together a really solid effort. We were able to get everyone some playing time and try some new things. I was very pleased with our offense and how we were able to score consistently. We can take some confidence into a big match Friday against USF."
Set One: The Pirates came out on fire, scoring the first seven points of the match. The Eagles drew within 10-5 following a service ace, but ECU answered with three straight to establish an eight-point advantage. The Pirate lead grew to 20-10 before the teams split the final 10 points of the stanza.
Set Two: ECU produced another solid start in the second frame, netting the first three points. NCCU cut the lead to 4-3 after a Pirate attacking error, but the Purple and Gold started to roll from there. With a 12-8 advantage in its grasp, ECU put together a 10-0 run to put the Eagles away and eventually grab a 2-0 match lead heading into the intermission.
Set Three: The Pirates made a few changes to the lineup as the third set commenced, and N.C. Central surged ahead 11-8. The Eagles enjoyed a 16-13 edge later in the frame, but ECU responded with a 6-0 run to take a 19-16 lead and force a NCCU timeout. The Eagles burned their final timeout when the Pirates captured a 22-18 advantage, but ECU clamped down and scored three of the final four points.
News and Notes
- The Pirates' 16 wins surpass last season's total and are the most in a single campaign since the 2007 squad went 16-17 under former head coach Chris Rushing.
- Head coach Julie Torbett matched Alita Dillon for the most wins by an ECU head coach with 71.
- The Pirates used their entire available roster in the match.
- ECU notched its sixth true road victory of 2017, improving to 6-4 in that respect.
Up Next: ECU gets back into conference play Friday at 7 p.m., hosting USF inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
Courtesy of ECUPirates.com