Temple University Athletics
Volleyball Boasts a League-Best Five All-Conference Nods with Two Yearly Award Winners
12.1.14 | Women's Volleyball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Temple volleyball team was rewarded for its outstanding season with a league-best five All-Conference selections, as voted on by the American Athletic Conference coaches. The Owls also earned two yearly awards, as junior Sandra Sydlik was named the American's Setter of the Year, and Dara Peric was named the American's Freshman of the Year. Sydlik and Peric joined senior Jennifer Iacobini, and sophomores Kirsten Overton and Tyler Davis on the All-Conference team.Â
Guided by fouth-year head coach Bakeer Ganes, the 2014 Temple team finished 24-8 overall, the program's best record since the 2002 season. The Owls finished
15-5 in conference play, tying for second overall, after being picked to finish ninth of 11 in the pre-season poll. Temple led all American Athletic Conference squads with five selections to the All-Conference team. UCF and SMU both earned four All-Conference bids, while Memphis and Tulsa each added a pair.Â
Sydlik earns the program's third ever Setter of the Year honor, joining Alison Runk, who was tabbed the Atlantic-10 Setter of the Year in both 2002 and 2003. In addition to being named the American's best setter, Sydlik represented the Owls on the All-Conference first team. This season, the junior racked up 10.94 assists per set, leading Temple to a .242 hitting percentage, which ranked second in the conference. Sydlik also added 2.96 digs per set to go along with 83 kills, 29 aces, and 56 blocks. She was named the American's Offensive Player of the Week on November 10, and also made an appearance on the conference's Weekly Honor Roll three times. Sydlik led the Owls with 19 double-doubles this season, with 13 coming in conference play.Â
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Peric garners Temple's fifth ever Freshman/Rookie of the Year nod, joining Atlantic-10 selections Yue Liu (2004), Yamit Haba (2000), Alma Kovaci (1997), and Heidi Lombardo (1993), with the honor. An outside hitter for the Owls, she finished third on the team with 2.62 kills per set, and ranked second with 3.18 digs per set. During conference play, Peric's numbers improved, as she tallied 2.85 kills and 3.54 digs per set, ranking her as the conference's top freshman in both categories. The rookie racked up 12 double-doubles in 2014, and in addition to her yearly award, was named an All-Conference selection.Â
Iacobini earns her first All-Conference selection, finishing second on the team with a 93 blocks and a .318 hitting percentage. The Owls' most dangerous server, she led the team with 32 aces, while also racking up 185 kills. A four-year starter for Temple, Iacobini closed out her career with 531 kills, 304 blocks, 233 digs, and 103 aces, starting 98 games. She was named to the American Weekly Honor Roll once this season, and also tied a conference record with 13 blocks in one match.
Overton makes her first appearance on the All-Conference team after a breakout season that saw the sophomore lead Temple with a .394 hitting percentage and 103 blocks. The middle consistently ranked in the top-25 in the nation in hitting, and finished the season third in the American in the category. Overton was third on the Owls with 272 total kills this season, and earned spots on the American Weekly Honor Roll three times in 2014.
Davis earns her first All-Conference nod, recording a team-best 318 kills playing on both the right side and the outside for the Owls. During conference play, she led the team with 3.35 kills per set during conference play, while also adding 2.20 digs per set. The sophomore had four double-doubles this season, all coming in conference play. Davis earned an American Weekly Honor Roll nod earlier in the season and had double-digit kill totals in 12 conference matches.Â
Temple's five All-Conference selections are the most in program history, surpassing the 2005 team that saw Yue Liu, Zhen Jian Liu, Patricia Vernon, and Christina DeMarco earn Atlantic-10 All-Conference honors.Â
American Athletic Conference Post-Season Awards
Guided by fouth-year head coach Bakeer Ganes, the 2014 Temple team finished 24-8 overall, the program's best record since the 2002 season. The Owls finished
15-5 in conference play, tying for second overall, after being picked to finish ninth of 11 in the pre-season poll. Temple led all American Athletic Conference squads with five selections to the All-Conference team. UCF and SMU both earned four All-Conference bids, while Memphis and Tulsa each added a pair. Sydlik earns the program's third ever Setter of the Year honor, joining Alison Runk, who was tabbed the Atlantic-10 Setter of the Year in both 2002 and 2003. In addition to being named the American's best setter, Sydlik represented the Owls on the All-Conference first team. This season, the junior racked up 10.94 assists per set, leading Temple to a .242 hitting percentage, which ranked second in the conference. Sydlik also added 2.96 digs per set to go along with 83 kills, 29 aces, and 56 blocks. She was named the American's Offensive Player of the Week on November 10, and also made an appearance on the conference's Weekly Honor Roll three times. Sydlik led the Owls with 19 double-doubles this season, with 13 coming in conference play.Â
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Peric garners Temple's fifth ever Freshman/Rookie of the Year nod, joining Atlantic-10 selections Yue Liu (2004), Yamit Haba (2000), Alma Kovaci (1997), and Heidi Lombardo (1993), with the honor. An outside hitter for the Owls, she finished third on the team with 2.62 kills per set, and ranked second with 3.18 digs per set. During conference play, Peric's numbers improved, as she tallied 2.85 kills and 3.54 digs per set, ranking her as the conference's top freshman in both categories. The rookie racked up 12 double-doubles in 2014, and in addition to her yearly award, was named an All-Conference selection.Â
Iacobini earns her first All-Conference selection, finishing second on the team with a 93 blocks and a .318 hitting percentage. The Owls' most dangerous server, she led the team with 32 aces, while also racking up 185 kills. A four-year starter for Temple, Iacobini closed out her career with 531 kills, 304 blocks, 233 digs, and 103 aces, starting 98 games. She was named to the American Weekly Honor Roll once this season, and also tied a conference record with 13 blocks in one match.
Overton makes her first appearance on the All-Conference team after a breakout season that saw the sophomore lead Temple with a .394 hitting percentage and 103 blocks. The middle consistently ranked in the top-25 in the nation in hitting, and finished the season third in the American in the category. Overton was third on the Owls with 272 total kills this season, and earned spots on the American Weekly Honor Roll three times in 2014.
Davis earns her first All-Conference nod, recording a team-best 318 kills playing on both the right side and the outside for the Owls. During conference play, she led the team with 3.35 kills per set during conference play, while also adding 2.20 digs per set. The sophomore had four double-doubles this season, all coming in conference play. Davis earned an American Weekly Honor Roll nod earlier in the season and had double-digit kill totals in 12 conference matches.Â
Temple's five All-Conference selections are the most in program history, surpassing the 2005 team that saw Yue Liu, Zhen Jian Liu, Patricia Vernon, and Christina DeMarco earn Atlantic-10 All-Conference honors.Â
American Athletic Conference Post-Season Awards
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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