PHILADELPHIA - The Temple volleyball team (2-0) remained undefeated in Hampton Inn Temple Invitational action, as the Owls took down the Towson Tigers, 3-1. Maira Mogollon continued her stellar setter play, as she racked up 56 assists to lead both teams. Zhen Jia Liu earned a match-high 27 kills and Ying Sun Ling totaled 18 digs.
The Owls jumped out to an early lead to begin the first game, though the Tigers were close on their heels, never allowing more than a three point differential. Temple maintained its composure and was able to put away the set 30-28.
Towson took the second game but Temple kept it close. Though the score was tied five different times, Towson was able to pull away at the end, for a 30-26 win. Temple battled back to tie the game at 25 before falling in the final minutes.
That would be the final game that the Owls would allow the Tigers to win, however, as Temple won the next two games 30-28 and 30-26, respectively.
Towson earned 62 digs to Temple's 54, thanks in part to Alison Essink's 17 dig performance and 11 and 10 digs, respectively from Kimberly Snider and Maddie Haseltine. Snider posted a team-high 50 assists.
Temple will face Rutgers at 7 p.m. and Towson takes on Lehigh at 4:30 p.m. to wrap up the weekend tournament.
In game one, Rutgers shut out Lehigh, 3-0 to improve to 1-1 on the season. Courtney Stout tallied a team-high 15 digs, while Jocelyn Greenwald dished 18 assists. Rutgers dominated the first two sets but found the Mountain Hawks a little troubling in the third game. The Mountain Hawks kept the game close to take a lead but a late surge by the Scarlet Knights gave them a 32-20 win. The scores of the first two games were 30-12 and 30-21, respectively.
