Temple University Athletics
Saturday, August 30
Syracuse, N.Y.
1:30 PM
Temple University
1-0
3
vs
0
Niagara
0-1
1
2
3
F
Niagara
17
21
21
0
Temple
25
25
25
3
Kirsten Overton
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Volleyball Beats Syracuse in Five-Set Thriller; Sweeps Niagara to Start 2014 Season
8.30.14 | Women's Volleyball
Box Score vs. Niagara (PDF) l Box Score vs. Syracuse (PDF)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - It was a perfect start to the season for Temple volleyball, as the Owls recorded wins over both Niagara and Syracuse on their first day of competition. Temple has one match remaining at the Syracuse Invitational, and will face Delaware State at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
In the opening match of the day for the Owls, they beat Niagara by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-21. Later in the day Temple had to dig deep as the Orangewomen took the Owls to five sets. Ultimately, Temple won by scores of 25-17, 20-25, 25-17, 16-25 and 15-13.
"This is one of the best teams we've played in my three years," said Temple head coach Bakeer Ganes, "and this was such a big win for us. We knew going in that it was going to be a tight match, and if we executed to the best of our ability, we would have a shot. Syracuse played a very good game. This was a great match to watch and a great match to coach...just really a lot of fun.
"We did a good job of managing the match overall. Sandra (Sydlik) did great job running the offense, and our middles also did a tremendous job. We struggled at times but we came back, which is different than some times in the past and a good development for our program."
Many Owls put up big numbers for the day, particularly in the five-set thriller. Freshman Dara Peric notched her first career double-double with 13 digs to go with 15 kills, while junior Sandra Sydlik also tallied a double-double with 52 assists and 15 digs.
Sophomore Caroline Grattan led all the Owls with 16 kills against Syracuse, while junior Alyssa Drachslin was the leader defensively with 23 digs.
The most efficient hitter of the day was sophomore Kirsten Overton. She recorded 15 kills on 22 attempts with zero errors to help Temple beat Syracuse, hitting .682. Earlier in the day she knocked down 10 kills while committing only a single error and hitting .500.
"In the past we've been very dependent on one or two players," said Ganes, "but now we have multiple options. This is better for the team overall and balances the pressure on multiple players while also making it harder for our opponents to predict us. As a program, this is the next step for us."
Speaking particularly about the efforts of Overton, Ganes said she "had a monster game. She was very active and just didn't stop. She worked very hard to make herself available, and also worked hard on defense, getting blocks and touching a lot of balls."
After a 10-10 tie in the fifth set against the Orangewomen, Peric and Grattan combined for three straight kills to put Temple in the lead for good. It was a back-and-forth match the entire way, with each team being dominant in two sets before a more evenly played final set.
Grattan notched a double-double of 15 kills and 11 digs in the early match against Niagara. The Owls recorded eight of the final 10 points to cruise to victory in the first set, and Grattan finished with nine kills in that opening set alone.
The Owls were dominant in the front and backcourt in their 25-17 first-set win against Syracuse. They recorded 20 team kills compared to eight for Syracuse, and earned the same advantage defensively with 24 digs to the Orangewomens' 12.
Overton was a force in the first set with eight kills and zero errors. Her kills accounted for four of Temple's final five points in the match, including the set-winner. Defensively, Drachslin and Kayla Yingling shared the load and recorded seven digs apiece.
Already leading 12-8 in the third set, the Owls proceeded to rattle off six straight points to take a double-digit, 10-point lead at 18-8. Syracuse cut the margin to six at 20-14, but Temple stayed composed and took five of the final eight points for a 25-17 victory.
"It was great to go 2-0 to start," said Ganes, "but tomorrow will be a completely different kind of competition. We have to have a different game plan and a different mindset in order to be successful."
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - It was a perfect start to the season for Temple volleyball, as the Owls recorded wins over both Niagara and Syracuse on their first day of competition. Temple has one match remaining at the Syracuse Invitational, and will face Delaware State at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
In the opening match of the day for the Owls, they beat Niagara by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-21. Later in the day Temple had to dig deep as the Orangewomen took the Owls to five sets. Ultimately, Temple won by scores of 25-17, 20-25, 25-17, 16-25 and 15-13.
"This is one of the best teams we've played in my three years," said Temple head coach Bakeer Ganes, "and this was such a big win for us. We knew going in that it was going to be a tight match, and if we executed to the best of our ability, we would have a shot. Syracuse played a very good game. This was a great match to watch and a great match to coach...just really a lot of fun.
"We did a good job of managing the match overall. Sandra (Sydlik) did great job running the offense, and our middles also did a tremendous job. We struggled at times but we came back, which is different than some times in the past and a good development for our program."
Many Owls put up big numbers for the day, particularly in the five-set thriller. Freshman Dara Peric notched her first career double-double with 13 digs to go with 15 kills, while junior Sandra Sydlik also tallied a double-double with 52 assists and 15 digs.
Sophomore Caroline Grattan led all the Owls with 16 kills against Syracuse, while junior Alyssa Drachslin was the leader defensively with 23 digs.
The most efficient hitter of the day was sophomore Kirsten Overton. She recorded 15 kills on 22 attempts with zero errors to help Temple beat Syracuse, hitting .682. Earlier in the day she knocked down 10 kills while committing only a single error and hitting .500.
"In the past we've been very dependent on one or two players," said Ganes, "but now we have multiple options. This is better for the team overall and balances the pressure on multiple players while also making it harder for our opponents to predict us. As a program, this is the next step for us."
Speaking particularly about the efforts of Overton, Ganes said she "had a monster game. She was very active and just didn't stop. She worked very hard to make herself available, and also worked hard on defense, getting blocks and touching a lot of balls."
After a 10-10 tie in the fifth set against the Orangewomen, Peric and Grattan combined for three straight kills to put Temple in the lead for good. It was a back-and-forth match the entire way, with each team being dominant in two sets before a more evenly played final set.
Grattan notched a double-double of 15 kills and 11 digs in the early match against Niagara. The Owls recorded eight of the final 10 points to cruise to victory in the first set, and Grattan finished with nine kills in that opening set alone.
The Owls were dominant in the front and backcourt in their 25-17 first-set win against Syracuse. They recorded 20 team kills compared to eight for Syracuse, and earned the same advantage defensively with 24 digs to the Orangewomens' 12.
Overton was a force in the first set with eight kills and zero errors. Her kills accounted for four of Temple's final five points in the match, including the set-winner. Defensively, Drachslin and Kayla Yingling shared the load and recorded seven digs apiece.
Already leading 12-8 in the third set, the Owls proceeded to rattle off six straight points to take a double-digit, 10-point lead at 18-8. Syracuse cut the margin to six at 20-14, but Temple stayed composed and took five of the final eight points for a 25-17 victory.
"It was great to go 2-0 to start," said Ganes, "but tomorrow will be a completely different kind of competition. We have to have a different game plan and a different mindset in order to be successful."
Team Stats
NIA
TU
Kills
38
47
Errors
14
10
Attempts
115
109
Hitting %
.209
.339
Points
43.5
51.0
Assists
36
46
Aces
1
3
Blocks
4.5
1.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
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