Volleyball Faces a Pair of Top Opponents on the Road

Friday, November 21

Tulsa, Okla.

8:00 PM

Temple University

Tulsa

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Volleyball Faces a Pair of Top Opponents on the Road

11.21.14 | Women's Volleyball

PHILADELPHIA - Temple volleyball looks to extend its win streak to 12 games with a pair of tough conference opponents on the road this weekend. The Owls will face a pair of teams tied for fouth place in the American, heading to Tulsa on Friday at 8 p.m. and then traveling to SMU on Sunday for a 2 p.m. clash.

The 22-6 Owls are just one game back in the American with a 13-3 record. Temple trails only UCF who is 14-2 in the conference this season. Sophomore Tyler Davis has recorded double-digit kill totals in 10 American matches this season, while freshman Dara Peric has added nine. Both player rank in the top-14 in the American in kills per set. Junior Sandra Sydlik leads all conference setters with 11.72 assists per set against American opponents, while sophomore Kirsten Overton ranks third in the conference and 13th in the nation with a .414 hitting percentage.

Tulsa is 19-8 overall with a 11-5 mark in the American and will put a six-match win streak on the line against Temple. Erica Bohannon leads Tulsa and ranks second in the conference with 4.00 kills per set, while Bailey Clampitt is 4th in assists with 10.42 per set. Brooke Berryhill ranks 4th in digs with 4.84 per set, while Valerie El Houssine has a league-leading 44 service aces. The Owls claimed the first ever meeting between the teams, a 3-1 win in Philadelphia on October 26.

SMU has matched Temple's overall record at 22-6 and the Mustangs are fourth with an 11-5 mark in the American. Janelle Giordano leads the team with a .316 hitting percentage and is second in the American with 134 total blocks, while Courtney Young averages a team-best 3.12 kills per set. Morgan Heise records 5.06 digs per set, while Avery Acker averages a conference-high 11.54 assists per set.

Temple leads the all-time series against SMU, 3-1, which dates back to 2002. The Owls claimed the last meeting with SMU, winning a 3-2 thriller in Philadelphia on October 24.

Match Notes (PDF) | Friday Video ($) | Friday Live Stats | Sunday Video ($) | Sunday Live Stats

HEADLINES
• Temple is 22-6 overall this season and is one game back in the American at 13-3. The Owls trails only UCF who is 14-2 in the conference this season.
• The Owls have reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2005 season and have won 10 matches in a row, the best streak since the 2003 team won 15-straight matches.
• Temple is coming off a home sweep, as the Owls topped UConn (3-2) on Wednesday and ECU (3-1) on Friday.
• The Owls rank in the top three in the American in: fewest errors per set (4.55 - 1st), hitting percent- age (.249 - 2nd), kills per set (13.94 - 2nd), assists per set (13.07 - 2nd), and digs per set (16.85 - 3rd). • Junior setter Sandra Sydlik was named the the American Weekly Honor roll on Monday, posting a pair of double-doubles in a 2-0 week for Temple. Sydlik is second overall in the American with 11.09 assists per set, but ranks first in the category with 11.72 against conference opponents.
• Sophomore Kirsten Overton ranks 13th among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .414, which is third in the American in the category.
• Sophomore Tyler Davis has recorded double-digit kill totals in 10 American matches this season, while freshman Dara Peric has added nine. In conference play, Davis ranks fourth with 3.64 kills per set against American opponents, while Peric with 14th with 2.81.
• Junior Alyssa Drachslin has recorded double-digit dig numbers in all 16 conference matches, including recording a season-best 30 against SMU. She averages a team-best 4.60 digs per set.
• Tulsa is 19-8 overall with a 11-5 mark in the American. The Hurricane have won six in a row and are tied for fourth in the conference.
• Temple claimed the first ever meeting between the teams, a 3-1 win in Philadelphia on October 26.
• Erica Bohannon leads Tulsa and ranks second in the conference with 4.00 kills per set, while Bailey Clampitt is 4th in assists with 10.42 per set. Brooke Berryhill ranks 4th in digs with 4.84 per set, while Valerie El Houssine has a league-leading 44 service aces.
• SMU is 22-6 overall with an 11-5 mark in the American, good for a fourth place tie.
• Temple claimed the last meeting with SMU, winning a 3-2 thriller in Philadelphia on October 24.
• SMU's Janelle Giordano leads the team with a .316 hitting percentage and is second in the American with 134 total blocks, while Courtney Young averages a team-best 3.12 kills per set. Morgan Heise records 5.06 digs per set, while Avery Acker averages a conference-high 11.54 assists per set.
• 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 10 times in 2014. Overton leads the way with four selections, while Sydlik has three. Drachslin has one it twice, while Davis and Iacobini have earned the nod once each. Sydlik was also named a Player of the Week.
• Head Coach Bakeer Ganes is now in his fourth year at the helm of the program, with an overall record of 67-49... His record for the last two seasons (2012 and 2013) was 37-23.