Volleyball travels to Rhode Island

After making a pit stop in New York City to dispose of/in a loss to Fordham, the Owls head farther up I-95 to visit Rhode Island in another Atlantic 10 Conference rematch Sunday.

In the first meeting this season between these two, Temple struggled in the early going but picked up the pace midway through the first set en route to sweeping the Rams 3-0. Junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert combined for 30 kills on 73 attempts.

Rhode Island has struggled since the two teams faced, with its only wins against the only winless programs in the A-10, La Salle and Charlotte.

A win for the Owls provides extra cushion as they try to stay in the top six of the conference for a berth in the A-10 Tournament.

The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.

Jake Adams

Volleyball faces Fordham in the Bronx

The Owls (14-7) head to the Bronx, N.Y. to take on Fordham (12-14) Friday, in a rematch of the Atlantic 10 Conference season’s second game.

Temple walked away from that match with a 3-0 sweep thanks to 23 total kills by junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert. The win pushed the team to 2-0 in the young conference season, but the Owls have since struggled of late, sitting at 4-3 in the A-10.

Temple is coming off back-to-back losses last weekend against Duquesne and George Washington, dropping them to the middle of the pack in the standings.

With a win Coach Bakeer Ganes and company could give themselves a cushion as they struggle to stay in the conference tournament hunt. A victory would keep the Owls in sixth in the standings, with a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Rams.

Fordham is also 4-3 in the A-10, and are also coming off back-to-back losses, being swept by Dayton and Xavier.

The match begins at 7 p.m.

-Jake Adams

Volleyball faces tough A-10 test at GW

The Owls now face the very real possibility of falling into the middle of the Atlantic 10 Conference pack when they head to George Washington (4-2 in A-10) to take on the Colonials Sunday.

Temple is 1-2 in their last three games, with losses against conference leading Dayton (6-0) and Duquesne (5-1) on Friday. The Owls are 4-2 in the conference, tied with Xavier, Fordham and George Washington.

A loss would knock them out of the Top 5.

Temple is coming of a straight set loss to Duquesne, where junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the team with 12 kills. The team struggled on night with the height of the Dukes’ blocks.

The Colonials have six players on their roster over six feet, which could pose yet another challenge for the Owls.

The match begins at 1 p.m.

-Jake Adams

Volleyball travels to Duquesne

Coming off a 3-0 sweep against La Salle, the volleyball team (4-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) heads west to take on conference foe Duquesne (4-1) on Friday.

Temple will be looking to ride its defense to another win, in a match that they will likely be considered an underdog. The Owls rank No. 12 in the nation, and first in the A-10, with 17.8 digs per set.

Duquesne, coming off a 3-1 loss against George Washington, features a balanced offense, however. The Dukes have four players with at least two kills per set. Junior outside hitter Allison Foschia leads the team with 2.99 per set.

Last season the teams split their season series, with both squads winning at home. Temple is looking to stay near the top of the conference, and with a win of Duquesne would remain in second place.

The match starts at 7 p.m.

-Jake Adams

Volleyball heads to La Salle for Big 5 match-up

The Owls return to action this weekend in another Atlantic 10 Conference battle, this time traveling to La Salle to take on a struggling Explorers team.

Temple already faced La Salle this season, sweeping them 3-0 in the Big 5 Tournament. Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the match with 12 kills and tacked on 12 digs as well as the Owls cruised 25-22, 25-20 and 25-12 in the Palestra.

Since their last meeting the teams have headed in completely different directions. The Explorers have gone just 2-10 since facing Temple, including 0-4 in the A-10.

Meanwhile the Owls have gone 10-2, with their losses coming at the hands of Miami (OH) and Dayton, as the team sits near the top of the conference at 3-1.

Sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini said after the Dayton loss that the Owls have the mentality of a team that doesn’t expect to lose another conference meet, beginning with La Salle.

Game time is set for 7 p.m.

-Jake Adams

Volleyball hosts No. 20 Dayton

Following a five-set upset of Atlantic 10 Conference power Xavier, the Owls retake their home court against No. 20 Dayton Saturday.

Temple is riding a seven game winning streak, all at home. They sit atop the conference at 3-0 tied with the Flyers in a match that pits an A-10 championship favorite against a surging underdog.

“We know what we need to do to compete with them,” coach Bakeer Ganes said last weekend. “Now we’re going to work on that in practice and see if we can execute that on the court, when game time comes.”

While undersized against the Musketeers on Friday, Temple will be even more behind in the height department against Dayton, who features 6-foot, 4-inch senior outside hitter Rachel Krabacher. Their game plan remains the same facing a much taller team, however.

“When it comes to the big teams we just have to cover our hitters,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said after the Xavier game. “Offensively we got to play smart. Use the block to tool it or hit around the block where you’ve got open court.”

-Jake Adams

Volleyball hosts conference foe Xavier

The Owls get their first serious test of the Atlantic 10 Conference season Friday when they host Xavier in McGonigle Hall.

Temple is riding a 6-0 streak at home, but the Musketeers are 2-0 in conference play and 9-7 overall, including tough losses to teams receiving votes in the polls.

The match could be a showcase of defense has the top liberos in the conference square off. Xavier senior Stephanie Vorherr is second in digs per set with 4.85 trailing only Temple’s senior Chelsea Tupuola who has 5.37 per set.

The team is ready for the challenge, where the Owls enter as an easy underdog, according to coach Bakeer Ganes.

“That’s very exciting and if you’re a competitor you want to see where you stand against these guys,” said Ganes about facing one of the conference’s top programs.

The match is set to start at 7 p.m.

Jake Adams

Volleyball hosts Fordham in A-10 play

The volleyball team will be looking to keep a 12-set winning streak alive against visiting Fordham tonight, after coming off a straight-set sweep of Atlantic 10 Conference rival Rhode Island.

Temple opened up conference play Friday with a 3-0 victory against the Rams, despite a slow start that saw them fall behind 7-1 before rallying back. The team hopes they can get off to a quicker start against Fordham.

“Do not start off the way we started [against Rhode Island],” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. “Really focus in on that first game. Momentum does carry out throughout the rest of the games and sets, but we need to start off really strong, right then and there.”

Last year the Owls lost both meetings against the Rams, each by scores of 3-1. This time they just want to get out of the gates quickly.

“I think we’re going to come up with a new cheer, something, anything to get us pumped up,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said.

-Jake Adams

Volleyball begins A-10 play at home

Offense will be the key for the Owls as they head into their Atlantic 10 Conference season opener against Rhode Island on Friday.

Temple goes up against a URI squad that lacks a big play threat (no hitter ranks in the Top 10 in the conference) and is one of the worst defenders in the A-10. The team has allowed a .228 hitting percentage (10th in the conference) while only hitting .159 (ninth in the conference).

But coach Bakeer Ganes expects a battle in their first conference match of the year at McGonigle Hall.

“I know [coach Bob Schneck’s] team is going to be very well coached, very well organized, and it’s going to be a battle,” Ganes said.

The Owls will be looking to improve to 11-4 on the year. The match begins at 7 p.m.

Jake Adams

Tournament crown within volleyball team’s reach

The Owls will take the court in McGonigle one last time this weekend when the host Cornell in the finale of the Temple Invitational Saturday evening.

Temple, who defeated Central Connecticut State University 3-1 and swept Navy 3-0 on Friday, needs one more win to claim the tournament crown. But they will have a tough match against a Cornell squad that dominated the Blue Devils in the final set of a 3-1 win earlier today.

The Big Red hit .305 as a team, led by junior outside hitter Kelly Marble’s 16 kills, 14 digs and five aces.

The Owls were helped out Friday by 18 kills courtesy of senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang against Central Connecticut, and then 14 kills from junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia against the Midshipmen.

Temple will be looking for their tenth win of the season. The match starts at 5 p.m.

-Jake Adams