Temple University Athletics
Temple Volleyball Drops Two Hard Fought Matches On Final Day Of Temple Invitational
8.25.07 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2007
Philadelphia- Temple fell to 2-2 on the season after dropping two hard-fought matches to second-place Youngstown State (3-2) and tournament winner Akron (3-1) on day two of the Temple Invitational. The Owls finished in third place ahead of La Salle, Rider and Lehigh. Yun Yi Zhang was represented Temple on the All-Tournament team, after posting 65 kills and 40 digs in four matches.
Match One
Yun Yi Zhang and Yue Liu each posted double-doubles but it was not enough to overcome a tough Youngstown State squad, as the Owls earned their first defeat of the season, 3-2. Zhang had a match-high 21 kills and 16 digs, while Liu tallied 18 kills and 12 digs. Youngstown will finish with at least a share of the title, thanks to a 4-0 record.
The Owls got down early in game one and were forced to come from behind for most of the session. Temple closed the gap to five (18-13) but the Penguins continued to thrive, gaining a 10 point advantage (25-15), and forcing the Cherry and White to take a time out and regroup. Down by 11 (28-17) and facing defeat, the Owls scored nine straight points to make it a two point game thanks to the spectacular serving of Patricia Vernon. The deficit proved to be too great, however, and the Penguins took the game, 30-27.
Game two started much like the first, with Youngstown jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Three great serves by Caitlin Loudon tied the game at six. A huge kill by Yun Yi Zhang gave the Owls their first lead of the game 10-9, but it was short-lived as the Penguins regained control and went ahead by two (12-10). Play was intense for the remainder of the game with the teams either tied or trading the lead but Youngstown was able to break away and hold on for the 31-29 victory.
Temple got back on track in game three, taking an early lead and never allowing the Penguins to get closer than two points. Up 24-12, it seemed that the Owls were certain to force a game four. Youngstown staged a late comeback campaign but it was too little, too late as the Owls took the game, 30-19.
The Owls dominated game four, 30-18, to force a fifth and deciding game. Youngstown finished as strong as they started, gaining an early lead and never letting go to finish with a 15-8 game five win.
Loudon was also a force for the Cherry and White with a game-high 41 assists and 15 digs. Ariel Pierre and Jaclyn Bretitgan were also in double figures in digs, with 12 and 14, respectively.
Match 2
Temple took a tough Akron team to four games, behind Yun Yi Zhang's match-high 28 kills, but could not topple the Zips and fell, 3-1. Caitlin Loudon earned a double-double of 33 assists and 21 digs, while Jaclyn Bretitgan, Ariel Pierre and Patricia Vernon, all had 16, 14 and 11 digs, respectively.
Play was tight in game one, with neither team leading by more than three points at any given moment. The final ten points of the match were extremely tight, with both the Owls and the Zips going point for point. With the score tied at 29, the game could really go either way. An Elizabeth Martin spike put Akron ahead, 30-29, but Jacqueline Cowden answered with a spike of her own to tie the score yet again. After trading game points, three separate times, the Zips were finally victorious with a 34-32 result.
The Owls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two but the Zips refused to give up. The Zips capitalized on a total Temple mental breakdown and went on a run of their own to go ahead 18-9. The Owls finally were able to regain composure and earn four straight points to make it 18-13. Akron responded with a four-point run to increase its lead to 11 (22-13). TU got as close as six points before bowing out with a 30-22 result.
Facing a three-game sweep, Temple really stepped it up in the third set, breaking away from tight competition to take a commanding 28-14 lead. The Owls were able to finish off the Zips, 30-17, to force a fourth game.
Akron took an early lead in game four but Temple refused to give up, slowly inching its way back to get as close as three points (24-21). The Zips kept plugging away, however, and took the game, 30-27, to win the match, 3-1.
The 2007 Temple Invitational All-Tournament Team:
Jen Stewart (MVP), Akron; Brionna Patterson, Akron; Elizabeth Martin, Akron; Jessica Fraley, Youngstown State; Abigail Drost, Youngstown State; Yun Yi Zhang, Temple; Kayla Beck, La Salle; Elyse Grassmuck (HM), Rider; Shannon Spafford (HM), Lehigh.
