Temple University Athletics
Jackie Morrison
Volleyball Begins A-10 Season at Home Friday vs. Charlotte
9.24.09 | Women's Volleyball
Owls open conference play looking to earn 14th straight A-10 Tournament berth
PHILADELPHIA – The Atlantic 10 season begins for the Temple volleyball team on Friday, Sept. 25 with a 7:00 p.m. home match against Charlotte in McGonigle Hall. The Owls will face George Washington at home on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
Picked to finish fifth of 10 teams in the league, Temple has a strong core of upperclassmen looking to continue and build upon the success of past squads, which have earned an A-10 Tournament berth for 13 straight years, including four titles.
At the helm for his 15th year as head coach is Bob Bertucci, who recently reached the 300-win plateau at Temple. The winningest coach in Temple volleyball history, Bertucci has compiled a 301-161 record on North Broad, and earned his 300th win on Sept. 5 vs. La Salle. He is 653-349 overall as a head coach.
Last year's A-10 champion Saint Louis is currently ranked 23rd in the nation, while runner-up Dayton is the sixth team receiving votes in the Top 25 poll.
Leading the Owls offensively is junior outside hitter Yun Yi Zhang. A First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection last season, Zhang currently leads all players in NCAA Division I with 5.70 kills per set.
“Yi has the potential to be an All-American,” says Bertucci. “Whether or not that happens is really a function of how well our team does this season.”
The team's lone senior, and a leader both on and off the court, is setter Jackie Morrison. After becoming the team's primary setter last season, Morrison proved she was one of the elite setters in the conference. She is averaging 9.26 assists per set so far this year to rank fifth in the A-10.
Temple played against the best of the best last weekend as the Owls matched up twice against top-ranked and two-time defending national champ Penn State. Temple suffered two 3-0 losses to the Nittany Lions, but also earned a 3-0 sweep of its own against St. Francis (PA). The Owls completed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a record of 4-5.
Charlotte (9-6) is riding high entering A-10 play after earning the title at last weekend's Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Tournament. The 49ers swept UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina, and also took a 3-1 win against Coastal Carolina. Charlotte continued its winning streak with a 3-0 sweep of Davidson on Sept. 22.
Leading the way for the 49ers is freshman Jenna Litoborski, who has twice been named the A-10 Rookie of the Week in the four weeks the award has been given out this season. She is averaging 2.66 kills per set along with 2.06 digs per set.
George Washington (8-4) finished third in the A-10 last season and has won five of its last six matches, including the last three straight. Sophomore Alyssa Valentine is the current A-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week, while freshman Candace Silva-Martin was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week following the Colonials' second tournament title of the season last weekend.
Leading GW overall this year is junior outside hitter Leah Hill, averaging a team-best 3.39 kills per set along with 3.30 digs per set.
Speaking to the strength of the schedule prior to the season, Bertucci acknowledged that it was loaded with talent. “I think we probably have the toughest schedule we've ever had, and particularly the toughest home schedule we've ever had, in that we have all the best A-10 teams coming in as well as Penn State. We don't have any easy matches on the schedule. We have a few less matches on the schedule than usual, but every match will be a tough one.”
Picked to finish fifth of 10 teams in the league, Temple has a strong core of upperclassmen looking to continue and build upon the success of past squads, which have earned an A-10 Tournament berth for 13 straight years, including four titles.
At the helm for his 15th year as head coach is Bob Bertucci, who recently reached the 300-win plateau at Temple. The winningest coach in Temple volleyball history, Bertucci has compiled a 301-161 record on North Broad, and earned his 300th win on Sept. 5 vs. La Salle. He is 653-349 overall as a head coach.
Last year's A-10 champion Saint Louis is currently ranked 23rd in the nation, while runner-up Dayton is the sixth team receiving votes in the Top 25 poll.
Leading the Owls offensively is junior outside hitter Yun Yi Zhang. A First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection last season, Zhang currently leads all players in NCAA Division I with 5.70 kills per set.
“Yi has the potential to be an All-American,” says Bertucci. “Whether or not that happens is really a function of how well our team does this season.”
The team's lone senior, and a leader both on and off the court, is setter Jackie Morrison. After becoming the team's primary setter last season, Morrison proved she was one of the elite setters in the conference. She is averaging 9.26 assists per set so far this year to rank fifth in the A-10.
Temple played against the best of the best last weekend as the Owls matched up twice against top-ranked and two-time defending national champ Penn State. Temple suffered two 3-0 losses to the Nittany Lions, but also earned a 3-0 sweep of its own against St. Francis (PA). The Owls completed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a record of 4-5.
Charlotte (9-6) is riding high entering A-10 play after earning the title at last weekend's Comfort Suites Coastal Carolina Tournament. The 49ers swept UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina, and also took a 3-1 win against Coastal Carolina. Charlotte continued its winning streak with a 3-0 sweep of Davidson on Sept. 22.
Leading the way for the 49ers is freshman Jenna Litoborski, who has twice been named the A-10 Rookie of the Week in the four weeks the award has been given out this season. She is averaging 2.66 kills per set along with 2.06 digs per set.
George Washington (8-4) finished third in the A-10 last season and has won five of its last six matches, including the last three straight. Sophomore Alyssa Valentine is the current A-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week, while freshman Candace Silva-Martin was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week following the Colonials' second tournament title of the season last weekend.
Leading GW overall this year is junior outside hitter Leah Hill, averaging a team-best 3.39 kills per set along with 3.30 digs per set.
Speaking to the strength of the schedule prior to the season, Bertucci acknowledged that it was loaded with talent. “I think we probably have the toughest schedule we've ever had, and particularly the toughest home schedule we've ever had, in that we have all the best A-10 teams coming in as well as Penn State. We don't have any easy matches on the schedule. We have a few less matches on the schedule than usual, but every match will be a tough one.”
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