Temple University Athletics
VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS GEORGE MASON, 3-1 IN THE FINALE OF THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL
11.29.03 | Women's Volleyball
Seniors Margaret Majewska and Charity Hill led a balanced Temple attack with 12 kills apiece. Majewska added 12 digs for a double-double. Fellow senior Xu Yun (11 kills) and junior Liu Zhen Jai (10 kills) also had double digit kill numbers for the Owls. Junior setter Alison Runk had a match-high 51 assists for Temple.
Aline Pereira led George Mason with 21 kills and was the only Patriot with double figure kill numbers. Temple out-hit George Mason .298 to .161 while the Patriots held the edge in total team blocks, six to five.
George Mason (16-14) was the second conference champion Temple defeated in the last two days as the Owls bested Metro-Atlantic Conference Champion, Manhattan, three games to one on November 28. George Mason is the Champion of the the Colonial Athletic Association.
Temple hopes its late season push is strong enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Though the Owls failed to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament, they were regular season A-10 Champions for the second year in a row and returned all six starters from a team that went to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. Temple only had two conference losses, both to Atlantic 10 Champion Dayton. The Owls, after suffereing early season injuries and going winless in their first five matches, won 20 of their next 22, including 15 in a row before losing in the Atlantic 10 Championship final. Certainly Temple is among the nation's top 64 programs this season but an invitation to the "Big Dance" is all in the hands of the committee. The NCAA Volleyball Tournament selection will take place on Monday, December 1.
