Temple University Athletics
Temple University
13-4, 4-1American
SMU
12-7, 4-2American
Volleyball Wins Third Straight, 3-1 Over SMU in American Athletic Conference Play
10.13.13 | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA - Strong performances across the board and mental toughness in some very tight sets made the difference as Temple volleyball pulled out a 3-1 win over visiting SMU (12-7, 4-2) on Sunday afternoon. The Owls (13-4, 4-1) got nine or more kills from four players, including a double-double of 12 kills and 14 digs from senior Elyse Burkert.
Temple won by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 14-25 and 28-26, edging out SMU in two sets that could have gone either way.
Jennifer Iacobini, Caroline Grattan and Gabriella Matautia all recorded nine kills. Sandra Sydlik added five blocks to 42 assists, and Kirsten Overton led the Owls with six blocks. Alyssa Drachslin tied Burkert for team-high honors in digs with 14.
"This is a great win for us because SMU is one of the top teams in this conference," said Temple head coach Bakeer Ganes, "and I think one of the top skilled teams as well. We knew it would be a dog fight and really tight match, so coming away with a win, especially in four sets, is great for us.
"The two tight sets we won is a testament to the execution and mental toughness of the players. I also think our freshmen Caroline and Kirsten did a great job. It was not an easy match for freshmen to play and they both came out and got some big plays that made a difference for us."
The Owls committed many fewer errors than SMU in the first set, out-hitting the Mustangs .391 to .097 on their way to winning 25-19. Burkert led Temple with four kills, while Iacobini and Matautia recorded two kills and two blocks apiece.
The second set saw Temple start out strong with a 10-6 lead, but SMU rallied to lead by two points at 13-11 and again at 15-13. The score was tied at 17-17 before Temple took the lead for good, but after the Owls had set-point at 24-21, SMU's Caroline Young knocked down two kills to make it 24-23.
Temple called a timeout, which was followed by a service error on SMU to put the Owls up 2-0 for the match with a 25-23 second-set win.Â
SMU committed just three errors in a strong third set, hitting .417 and leading the Owls the whole way. Three players led the Mustangs with four kills, and Temple struggled to get its offensive going for any significant stretch as the Owls lost the set, 25-14.
Temple led by three at 23-20 in the fourth set, but the Mustangs came back to tie the score at 23-23. Both teams then had a set point thwarted by their own service error, and the Owls had a second set point that was fought off by an SMU kill. At 26-26 the Owls once again took set and match point after an attack error on the Mustangs, and Drachslin served up an ace for the final point of the match.
"It was tough after that third set to come back and be ready to go," said Ganes. "so it was important for us to get a head start in the fourth set because we knew they would come back with a run. We're really happy to get away with this win. I have to give SMU a lot of credit. They are very good, and very skilled. It was a fun match and we're looking forward to our match against them at their place."
The Owls will play two more matches as part of their five-match homestand. Next up is a 7:00 p.m. contest against Connecticut on Friday, Oct. 18 as Temple celebrates Homecoming weekend.
