Temple University Athletics
Wednesday, September 12
McGonigle Hall
6:00 PM
Temple University
7-4
3
vs
0
NJIT
5-6
1
2
3
F
NJIT
20
19
21
0
Temple
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Volleyball Sweeps NJIT in Home Opener at McGonigle Hall
9.12.12 | Women's Volleyball
Owls led by Elyse Burkert with 12 kills and 19 digs
l Interview with Head Coach Bakeer Ganes (video) l Photo Gallery
PHILADELPHIA - For the fifth time this season, Temple volleyball won a match without giving up a single set, as the Owls cruised to a 3-0 win in their home opener against NJIT (5-6). Temple (7-4) won by scores of 25-20, 25-19, and 25-21, led by strong performances from all its starters.
Elyse Burkert, reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week, tied for match-high honors with 12 kills and made it a double-double with 19 digs. Gabriella Matautia also notched 12 kills, and finished with nine digs. Chelsea Tupuola averaged close to seven digs per set, finishing with a team-high 20, and Tiffany Connatser recorded 41 assists for Temple.
The Owls got efficient offense from Jingyu Zhang who recorded nine kills with just a single error. Starters Annemarie Boehm and Jennifer Iacobini combined for 11 kills and three blocks.
Temple had a force to reckon with in the defense of NJIT's Renata Pandolfo, who kept many plays alive and finished with 34 digs.
Despite the sweep, every set of the match was close between the two teams. The first set saw nine ties, the last at 19-19 before the Owls pulled away. They scored six of the final seven points, closing the set on a kill by Matautia.
Seven more ties followed in the second set, and once again the final tie came at 19-19. This time the Owls put it away even more emphatically, as they had trailed 19-17 before tying and going on to win without dropping another point. Tupuola served the final seven points, and Matautia recorded three straight kills to take Temple from a 19-17 deficit to a 20-19 lead. Zhang had two kills in the stretch to help Temple take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Temple was more dominant in the third and final set, taking an early lead and holding it throughout. The Owls trailed 4-3 before Iacobini served during a 5-0 run to give Temple an 8-4 lead. The Highlanders rallied towards the end to come within three points after being down by as many as six, but Burkert finished off the set with a hard-hit kill.
The Owls will see a lot of home action this weekend as they host the Temple Invitational with teams from Central Connecticut, Cornell and Navy. Temple will play in both of the opening matches on Friday, Sept. 14, facing Central Connecticut at 4:00 p.m. and Navy at 7:30 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA - For the fifth time this season, Temple volleyball won a match without giving up a single set, as the Owls cruised to a 3-0 win in their home opener against NJIT (5-6). Temple (7-4) won by scores of 25-20, 25-19, and 25-21, led by strong performances from all its starters.
Elyse Burkert, reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week, tied for match-high honors with 12 kills and made it a double-double with 19 digs. Gabriella Matautia also notched 12 kills, and finished with nine digs. Chelsea Tupuola averaged close to seven digs per set, finishing with a team-high 20, and Tiffany Connatser recorded 41 assists for Temple.
The Owls got efficient offense from Jingyu Zhang who recorded nine kills with just a single error. Starters Annemarie Boehm and Jennifer Iacobini combined for 11 kills and three blocks.
Temple had a force to reckon with in the defense of NJIT's Renata Pandolfo, who kept many plays alive and finished with 34 digs.
Despite the sweep, every set of the match was close between the two teams. The first set saw nine ties, the last at 19-19 before the Owls pulled away. They scored six of the final seven points, closing the set on a kill by Matautia.
Seven more ties followed in the second set, and once again the final tie came at 19-19. This time the Owls put it away even more emphatically, as they had trailed 19-17 before tying and going on to win without dropping another point. Tupuola served the final seven points, and Matautia recorded three straight kills to take Temple from a 19-17 deficit to a 20-19 lead. Zhang had two kills in the stretch to help Temple take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Temple was more dominant in the third and final set, taking an early lead and holding it throughout. The Owls trailed 4-3 before Iacobini served during a 5-0 run to give Temple an 8-4 lead. The Highlanders rallied towards the end to come within three points after being down by as many as six, but Burkert finished off the set with a hard-hit kill.
The Owls will see a lot of home action this weekend as they host the Temple Invitational with teams from Central Connecticut, Cornell and Navy. Temple will play in both of the opening matches on Friday, Sept. 14, facing Central Connecticut at 4:00 p.m. and Navy at 7:30 p.m.
Team Stats
NJIT
TU
Kills
39
46
Errors
17
15
Attempts
130
138
Hitting %
.169
.225
Points
48.0
56.0
Assists
38
44
Aces
3
7
Blocks
6.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
3
Blocks
1
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