Temple University Athletics
Temple University
SMU
It's a Homecoming for Elyse Burkert as Volleyball Travels to SMU and Houston
11.14.13 | Women's Volleyball
Live Stats l Live Video (SMU)
Live Stats l Live Video (Houston)
PHILADELPHIA - Senior Elyse Burkert, from Richardson, Texas, will be playing near home for the first time in her Temple volleyball career thanks to the new American Athletic Conference. The Owls (17-7, 8-4) will play at SMU (17-9, 9-4) on Friday, Nov. 15 at 8:00 p.m. (EST) and then travel on to Houston (16-12, 8-5) for a 2:00 p.m. (EST) match on Sunday, Nov. 17. Live stats and live video links (subscribers only) can be found above.
Burkert's hometown is less than 10 miles from the campus of SMU in northeast Dallas. Many of her family and friends will also make the trip to Houston on Sunday, about four hours away.
The Owls have played both SMU and Houston already this season, earning 3-1 wins against both on their home court in mid-October. Temple is coming off back-to-back wins against Cincinnati and Memphis, both by scores of 3-1. The Owls currently sit in fifth place in the American, right between their two opponents this weekend. SMU is fourth with a league record of 9-4, and Houston is sixth at 8-5.
Temple is leading the American in opponent hitting percentage, as the Owls' opponents average just .167 against them. The Owls are second in the conference in digs for league matches only, with 17.43 digs per set. Leading the way for Temple is senior Gabriella Matautia with 3.45 kills/set (fourth in the league) and 2.81 digs/set, while Alyssa Drachslin is averaging a team-best 4.46 digs (fifth in the league).
Sandra Sydlik ranks second in the American with 0.35 aces per set, having served up 27 total aces. Jennifer Iacobini is sixth in that same category with 26 aces (0.30 per set).
About SMU...
SMU is hitting .226 as a team, which ranks second among all teams for conference matches. Leading the Mustangs is Caroline Young, who is ninth in the league in American matches with a .288 attack percentage. She ranks fifth in all matches in kills per set at 3.33. The Mustangs' Avery Acker is ranks second with 11.15 assists per set in conference matches. SMU had won five straight matches before falling 3-1 at undefeated Louisville in its most recent match.
About Houston...
Houston is 3-1 in its last four matches, with the lone loss coming at undefeated Louisville by a narrow margin of 3-2. The Cougars rallied from two sets down to win the third and the fourth, but then dropped the fifth set 15-6. Junior libero Natalie Keck leads the Cougars with 445 digs this season (4.24 digs/set). Middle blocker Kaiti Waters ranks second in the American in blocks, averaging 1.25 blocks per set. Houston leads the American in service aces with 150 total, (1.43 per set).
