Monthly Archives: September 2012

Volleyball hosts New Jersey Institute of Technology

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The Owls return to the confines of McGonigle Hall for the first time this season, as they host New Jersey Institute of Technology tonight at 6 p.m.

The Rams went 3-0 over the weekend to win the Rose Hill Classic, defeating Stony Brook University, Cornell and Fordham.

Temple is coming off a 2-1 weekend with their only loss coming to Miami (OH).

The Owls will be looking to their three leaders in the match. Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola is second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 4.86 digs per set. Sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser currently sits 31st in the country with 11.11 assists per set and on the other end of those sets is junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert, who’s 4.60 kills per set is tied for 10th in the nation.

-Jake Adams

Men’s soccer awaits home opener against Manhattan

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Despite being only the third game of the season, men’s soccer coach David MacWilliams thinks Tuesday’s home opener against Manhattan is key for his team.

“If we win then we’re at .500, and then you’re not chasing wins just to get to that mark,” MacWilliams said. “We’ve played two tough games. The first one was unfortunate.”

The Owls season opener ended in a loss due to a controversial penalty shot that was assessed to Virginia Tech.

Their second game of the season was a double-overtime bout with James Madison. The Owls’ defense was able to tame James Madison’s potent offense, with the game ultimately ending in a draw. Tuesday’s home opener will be their first game in nine days.

After Tuesday’s matchup at Ambler Campus, the Owls will once again fly out of the city. Temple will pack their bags and head to California this weekend for a two-game West Coast swing against California Polytechnic and California State-Northridge.

Senior defenseman Billy Kappock believes that, with solid defense, the Owls are capable of taking down anyone.

“If we stay positive and collective as a group, we should do fine no matter who we play,” Kappock said. “If we defend well we’ll always have a chance.”

The defense will most likely be guarding sophomore Dan Scheck for tomorrow’s home opener. Junior Bobby Rosato is still believed to be out with a fractured arm. There is a possibility he may be available for this weekend’s road trip to California. Scheck has given up one goal in his first two starts. He’s looking for his first collegiate victory against Manhattan.

The home opener is set to begin at 3 p.m.

-Tyler Sablich

Ice hockey launches web site

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Upon the start of a new season, Temple ice hockey has launched a new website.

Officially launched on Sept. 7, the site allows users to access up-to-date information on the team, including the current roster, season statistics, a season schedule, and team news.

The website launching is one of a series of social media moves from the club, which has also taken strides to improve its Twitter and Facebook pages. The site will also feature live streaming from home games at the Northeast Skate Zone for the first time in the program’s history.

The site can be accessed at www.templeicehockey.com.

-Andrew Parent

Women’s soccer faces Princeton

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The women’s soccer team will be taking on Ivy League Princeton today at Roberts Stadium at 12 p.m.

Coming off of their second win of the season on Friday against Iona, the Owls know that Princeton is another very tough opponent on their 2012 schedule, coach Matt Gwilliam said.

“I expect a really difficult team in Princeton,” Gwilliam said. “They are a very storied program and are a technical group on the field.”

Princeton is entering the match with a 1-1-1 record, while Temple looks to get their third win of the season, currently standing with a 2-3-1 record.

After a shutout win on Friday by freshman goalkeeper Shauni Kerkhoff, coach Gwilliam said that he is still unsure who will be in goal for today’s match against Princeton.

“Every week is a new week, and if I earn it, I will earn it,” Kerkhoff said when asked if she believes she will start in goal on Sunday.

The Owls are not phased by another tough competitor, as they have seen schools such as James Madison, Hofstra, and Princeton already this season, Gwilliam said.

“I think they’re going to be strong, fast, and athletic,” senior forward Morgyn Seigfried said. “They’re going to be a good team, but we have played a lot of good teams this season.

-John Murrow

Volleyball takes down Indiana State

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It all comes down to tonight’s matchup against Miami (OH) for the Owls.

Temple is one win away from their second consecutive tournament championship of the season after taking down Indiana State 3-1 Saturday afternoon. They defeated Chicago State in straight sets Friday night to open the Miami (OH) Invitational.

Offense was again the key for the young squad as they won 25-20, 20-25, 25-27, and 25-15.

Led by junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert’s 19 kills and 11 digs–her fifth straight double-double–the Owls had a .254 hitting percentage. It was a similar scene as the previous match against the Cougars, except this time the offense committed 20 hitting errors against five the previous night.

Temple originally trailed 9-3 to open the match, but a 6-1 rally got them to within striking distance. They finally tied the score 20-20 before taking the lead off four points by junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia- a kill, block and two aces.

The second set was closer, the Owls never led by more than four points. Indiana State closed out the final three points thanks to two hitting errors by Burkert and an ace.

Burkert and company responded in the third set, however. After a Burkert hitting error tied the score at 8-8 the Owls jumped out to an 11-3 run before clinching the set thanks to a service error by the Sycamores.

The final set was much of the same. Temple led the entire set, as the closest Indiana State could get was to 9-10 before Burkert and Matautia took control, finishing off the match.

The win brings the Owls to 6-3 on the season, while dropping the Sycamores to 1-8.

Burkert was the only player to record a double-double in the match. She also tallied 16 kills on 27 attempts and 11 digs Friday night, making a strong case for tournament MVP.

Matuatia reached 13 kills along with three aces while senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang hit .320 with 12 kills of her own. Sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser had another solid match with 49 assists, an ace and eight digs.

Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola led the match with 20 digs, six more than any other player.

Overall the Owls hit .254 for the match, their third consecutive match hitting at least .200. The Sycamores were held to .148 on 135 attempts.

Temple’s next match is Saturday night against Miami (OH) who is also 2-0 in the tournament. The RedHawks won 3-2 over Indiana State Friday night and cruised in straight sets over Chicago State. The winner takes home the Miami (OH) Invitational title.

-Jake Adams

Win would give Owls tournament title

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The Owls are looking to cap off the Miami (OH) Invitational Saturday night with a win over host Miami (OH).
The schedule might have saved the best matchup for last, as the team is prepared for its toughest battle of the weekend.
The winner of the match will walk away with the tournament championship. A win would mark the second consecutive tournament title for the Owls.
“I expect them to be the toughest matchup for us,” coach Bakeer Ganes said Wednesday. “They are bigger and more physical than us so I think it’s really going to come down to serve-receive.”
The offense is also looking to maintain the pace it set Friday night against Chicago State.
The Red Hawks entered the tournament 2-6 before defeating Indiana State Friday night 3-2 and sweeping Chicago State in straight sets Saturday morning.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

Jake Adams

Golf season opens with Navy Invitational

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The golf team opens up their fall season today with the Navy Invitational held at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Md.

Coach Brian Quinn said he’s excited to see his team perform under the pressure of a real tournament rather than just in practice rounds.

“I think we should be in good shape, I’m curious to see how we’re going to do being a late entry into this tournament,” Quinn said.

Senior Devin Bibeau has high goals set not only for himself, but for his team this weekend. Bibeau is the lone senior on the team and will be relied on to consistently put together low rounds while the younger talent develops.

“I’m hitting the ball well, I would love to win the tournament or at least finish high in the standings to start off the year on a good note,” Bibeau said. “The team is playing really well, nothing is stopping us from finishing high, with the day off for Labor Day we got some extra practice and hopefully we could all play to the level we are capable of.”

This weekend will be the first of many tests for the young Owls squad. The starting five golfers for the Owls this week will be Bibeau, junior Matt Crescenzo, sophomores Paul Carbone and Mike Amole and freshman Brandon Matthews.

-Anthony Bellino

Volleyball sets up against Indiana State

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Following a convincing 3-0 victory over Chicago State on Friday the Owls have their sights set on the first of their two remaining matchups Saturday in the Miami (OH) Invitational.

Temple takes the court against Indiana State at 1 p.m. looking to improve on its 5-3 record.

The Sycamores enter the game 1-6 after losing to Miami (OH) Friday night. Five of those losses, however, have come in the fifth set.

“I think we can definitely compete with them on offense,” coach Bakeer Ganes said Wednesday. “We just have to be smart about our shot selection.”

Ganes also hopes to get the junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia more involved after a disappointing Big 5 Tournament performance last weekend.

“I think it was a combination of different things,” Ganes said. “We really didn’t put her in a situation where she could be successful. [She] probably didn’t have the best weekend either, physically.”

-Jake Adams

Women’s soccer hosts Iona

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The women’s soccer team will look to capture its second win of the season on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Ambler Sports Complex against visiting Iona College at 4 p.m.

Entering Friday’s match, Temple comes in with a 1-3-1 record, while Iona will enter with a 1-2-1 record. Both of Iona’s losses have come on the road, while Temple’s lone win was at home.

With a slow start to the season, the Owls’ record has not indicated the way that the team has played, coach Matt Gwilliam said.

The Owls have lost three matches this season to Hofstra, James Madison and the University of Pennsylvania. With another tough match up against Iona on Friday, the Owls are hoping to put one in the win column, Gwilliam said.

“They are a really, really difficult team,” Gwilliam said. “They just had a big overtime win against Rhode Island and are really tough team.”

Gwilliam has yet to name a starting goalkeeper for Friday’s match. Coach Gwilliam pulled redshirt-senior goalkeeper Tara Murphy after allowing two goals 23 minutes apart in the 2-0 loss at Penn on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Freshman goalkeeper Shauni Kerkhoff replaced Murphy and earned her first collegiate save in the final 11 minutes of the Penn loss.

“We are just lacking in the cutting edge,” Gwilliam said. “We have done good things, but need to continue to work on the little things.”

-John Murrow

Volleyball begins weekend series

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The volleyball team is off to a 4-3 start this season heading into this weekend’s Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio.

The Owls begin their tournament slate with Chicago State (2-7) Friday evening before taking on Indiana State (1-6) and Miami (Ohio) (1-6) on Saturday.

On paper Temple matches up well against Chicago State, coach Bakeer Ganes said. The squad sports the Atlantic 10 Conference’s best dig rate, with 16.38 per set.

“I think we definitely have the advantage over them on defense,” Ganes said. “I think we move just a little bit better on defense.”

Offensively the Owls have more weapons, led by junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert’s 4.29 kills per set.

Ganes said the Cougars’ veteran depth, despite having several transfers, makes them dangerous.

“To be honest with you I don’t really know much about them because I never played them before,” he said.

Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.

-Jake Adams