GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina had little trouble with Bethune-Cookman Friday night, cruising to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-14) victory inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum to stay undefeated at the Pirate Invitational. 

The ECU (4-1) offense hummed along to the tune of 47 kills and a .385 hitting percentage. The Wildcats (0-5) struggled to a .026 hitting mark while mustering up just 17 kills. The Pirates also won the statistical battle in total digs (38-26) and service aces (6.0-2.0). East Carolina sided out at 100 percent (9-for-9) in the second set while firing at a .423 clip.

Sophomore outside hitters Izzy Marinelli and Angeles Alderete collected a squad-best seven kills while Alderete and junior libero Lara Uyar posted a team-high 12 digs apiece. A total of eight Pirates recorded at least four kills in the contest. Freshman outside hitter Ellie Pate was sensational in the first frame, knocking down six kills on eight attempts with no errors for a .750 hitting percentage. Malina Spencer paced Bethune-Cookman with six kills.

A kill by Alderete saw ECU jump in front 11-6 in the opening set, prompting a Wildcat timeout. The Pirates put it out of reach from there, scoring five of the next six points to open a nine-point advantage. A Bethune-Cookman service error ended the stanza with East Carolina winning it by 11.

The Pirates put together another nice run early in the second frame, breaking a 3-3 deadlock with a 10-2 run that was capped by a Payton Evenstad ace. ECU would keep the visitors in single digits as a Wildcat attacking error sent East Carolina to the intermission up two sets to one.

A second-ball kill by Julianna Askew made it 8-2 in the Pirates’ favor in the third, prompting a Bethune-Cookman timeout. ECU was never threatened as it terminated the match with the 11-point set victory.

Up Next: East Carolina faces Appalachian State for the Pirate Invitational title Saturday at 3 p.m. Bethune-Cookman and Campbell get the day started at 11 a.m.