Volleyball 80's Night Set for Friday vs. ECU

PHILADELPHIA - Fresh off their eighth win in a row, the Temple volleyball team hosts a pair of weekday matches against American Athletic Conference opponents. The Owls welcome UConn to town on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and will wrap up the short week with a Friday night match against ECU at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's match is a whiteout, fans are encouraged to wear white and the first 200 in attendance will receive a free t-shirt. The theme for Friday's match is 80's Night.

Temple has reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2005. The Owls are 20-6 overall with a 11-3 mark in the American, two back of UCF after handing the Knights their first conference loss on Sunday. Sophomore Tyler Davis (14 kills) and freshman Dara Peric (13 kills) paced the Owls offense in the win over UCF, snapping their 13-match win streak. The Owls also swept USF on Friday night, with junior Halle McCullough and and sophomore Kirsten Overton combining for 23 kills and six blocks.

Junior setter Sandra Sydlik was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, while Overton earned a spot on the American Weekly Honor Roll. Sydlik averaged 12.00 assists per set on offense and 2.14 digs per set on defense, also tallying six kills, three aces, and three blocks. Overton hit .359 for the week with 19 kills and eight blocks, including a team-high five blocks against UCF.

Against conference opponents this season, Davis leads the Owls' attack with 3.67 kills per set, while Peric adds 2.76 to the offense. Sydlik averages a conference-best 11.67 assists per set with Overton's .410 hitting percentage ranking her second in the conference. Junior Alyssa Drachslin has reached double-digit dig totals in all 14 conference matches for Temple this season, while classmate Kayla Yingling has come on strong as of late, hitting double-digits in digs in six of the last eight matches.

UConn is 10-14 overall, with a 3-11 record in the America. The Huskies won the earlier meeting between the two teams, sweeping the Owls 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-22) in Storrs, Conn., but Temple leads the all-time series, 5-3. For UConn, Devon Maugle leads the offense with 2.67 kills per set and a team-best 24 aces, while Immanuella Anagu averages 2.49 kills per set and has a team-best 90 blocks. Rebecca Rivera has posted 5.55 assists per set, while Brianna Datti anchors the defense with 4.40 digs per set.

ECU enters this week's match with a 12-12 overall mark and a 4-10 record in the American. Temple swept the Pirates earlier this season, 3-0 (), in the first ever meeting between the programs. Sydney Darden averages 2.85 kills per set and 2.78 digs per set for ECU, while Ashley McRae hits a team-best .367 and has 65 blocks. Erika Figueroa heads up the defense with 3.21 digs per set, while Zarah Cecich handles the setting duties, averaging 8.72 helpers a set.

OF NOTE...
• Temple is 20-6 overall this season, carrying a second-place mark of 11-3 against American Athletic Conference opponents.
• The Owls have reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2005 season and have won eighth matches in a row.
• Temple is coming off a big weekend sweep, as the Owls topped USF (3-0) on Friday, and conference-leading UCF (3-1) on Sunday.
• The Owls rank in the top three in the American in: hitting percentage (.251 - 2nd), kills per set (13.85 - 2nd), assists per set (13.00 - 2nd), and digs per set (16.49 - 3rd).
• Junior setter Sandra Sydlik earned Temple's first conference Player of the Week honor, being named the American's Offensive POTW.
• Sophomore Kirsten Overton was named to the American's Honor Roll for the third time this season. She ranks 14th among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .410, and second in the American in the category.
• Sophomore Tyler Davis has recorded double-digit kill totals in nine of 14 American matches this season, including posting 26 kills against SMU. She ranks fouth in the conference with 3.67 kills per set against American opponents.
• Junior Alyssa Drachslin has recorded double-digit dig numbers in all 14 conference matches, including recording a season-best 30 against SMU. She averages a team-best 4.60 digs per set.
• UConn is 10-15 overall with a 3-11 mark in the American.
• The Huskies won the season opener against the Owls, sweeping Temple, 3-0 on September 24 in Connecticut.
• UConn's Immanuella Anagu is fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.319), while Brianna Datti ranks seventh in the conference with 4.40 digs per set.
• ECU is 12-12 overall and carries a 4-10 record against American opponents.
• Temple swept the Pirates, 3-0, at home on September 28, winning the first ever meeting between the two programs.
• ECU's Ashley McCraw ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.367), while Natalie Montini is fifth with 1.02 blocks per set. Zara Cecich is sixth in the conference with 8.72 assists per set, while Ashton Mares averages .29 aces per set to rank fifth.
• Temple won three of the four tournaments it competed in this season, taking team titles at the Syracuse Invitational, its own Temple Invitational, and the Big 5 Tournament hosted by Penn.
• Sydlik was named the Big 5 Tournament MVP, Drachslin was named the Tournament MVP of the Temple Invitational, and Overton was named the Tournament MVP of the Syracuse Invitational.
• Temple players have appeared on the American Weekly Honor Roll nine times in 2014. Overton leads the way with three selections, while Sydlik and Drachslin have each done it twice. Davis and Iacobini have earned the nod once each.
• Head Coach Bakeer Ganes is now in his fourth year at the helm of the program, with an overall record of 61-49... His record for the last two seasons (2012 and 2013) was 37-23.

Game Notes (PDF) | Live Stats | Live Video | Anatomy of a Point: TUVB Video | 80's Night Promo Video

Volleyball 80's Night Set for Friday vs. ECU

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Davis

Alyssa Drachslin

Halle McCullough

Kirsten Overton

Dara Peric

Sandra Sydlik

Kayla Yingling

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