Temple University Athletics
Friday, September 19
Philadelphia, Pa.
4:00 PM
Temple University
vs
La Salle
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Volleyball Heads to the Palestra This Weekend for the Big 5 Tournament
9.17.14 | Women's Volleyball
Live Stats l Tournament Notes l Live Webcast (Temple/Penn)
PHILADELPHIA - After a one-year hiatus, the Big 5 Tournament is back for the area's Division I volleyball teams. Temple will head to the nearby Palestra this weekend to face La Salle, Villanova and host Penn. The Owls (6-3) will play La Salle (6-6) first, on Friday, Sept. 19 at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, Temple will play Villanova (5-7) at 10:00 a.m. and then have a long break before taking on Penn (2-5) at 7:00 p.m.
HEADLINES
•    The Owls started the season 6-0 with two tournament titles, winning both the Syracuse Invitational and their own Temple Invitational...Temple is now 6-3 overall after suffering three very close losses at the LIU Blackbird Invitational this past weekend.
•    Temple took both Boston College and LIU Brooklyn to five sets before falling narrowly, and lost a four-set match to Northern Kentucky.
•    The Big 5 Tournament returns to its typical format in 2014 after Penn hosted a tournament by a different name in 2013 and Villanova did not participate...The Owls won the most recent Big 5 title in 2012, going 2-1 with wins over Penn and La Salle and a loss to Villanova.
•    The Big 5 Tournament began in 2009 and has been held every year since, apart from 2013.
•    La Salle is experiencing a turnaround this season under new head coach Caitlin Rimgaila...The Explorers went 1-31 last season but have started at 6-6 so far in 2014.
•    Sophomore Kirsten Overton currently ranks 23rd among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .428.
•    Senior libero Alyssa Drachslin was named the Tournament MVP of the Temple Invitational, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior Jennifer Iacobini and freshman Dara Peric.
•    Drachslin averaged 4.75 digs per set during the Temple Invitational, and tied her career high with 28 digs in the win vs. Princeton.
•    Overton was named the Tournament MVP of the Syracuse Invitational, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team and the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll.
•    Sophomore Caroline Grattan joined Overton on the Syracuse Invitational All-Tournament Team.
•    Grattan leads the Owls with 142 kills so far (3.84 per set), which ranks second in The American.
BIG 5 TOURNAMENT HISTORYÂ Â Â
The Big 5 Tournament returns to its typical format in 2014, featuring the Owls alongside Penn, La Salle and Villanova. In 2013, Penn hosted a tournament under a different name, with Temple, La Salle and Weber State competing.
The Owls won the most recent Big 5 title in 2012, going 2-1 with wins over Penn and La Salle and a loss to Villanova. The Big 5 Tournament began in 2009, and has been held every year since (at Penn), apart from 2013.Â
OVERTON, OVER AND OVER AGAINÂ Â Â
Sophomore middle blocker Kirsten Overton notched a .652 hitting percentage in Temple's five-set win at Syracuse, while also knocking down a career-high 15 kills in that contest. For the opening weekend of play, Overton hit a conference-leading .592.
Overton's efforts led to her being named the Syracuse Invitational Tournament MVP, and she was also named to The American's Weekly Honor Roll.
At the LIU Blackbird Invitational on Sept. 12, Overton hit .700 with 15 kills on 20 attempts and just one error. That percentage ranks as the top performance in the conference so far this season. Overall, Overton ranks 23rd among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .428, and ranks second in The American.
GRATTAN STEPPING UPÂ Â Â
Sophomore Caroline Grattan came into the year as the leader among returning players for kills from 2013, and she has only put up even stronger numbers so far. Grattan averaged 4.18 kills per set over Temple's three matches (all wins) at the Syracuse Invitational, totaling 46 kills overall. She recorded 15 kills against both Niagara and Delaware State (three-set sweeps) and tallied 16 kills in the five-set win against Syracuse.
Grattan, along with Overton, was named to the Syracuse Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Grattan knocked down a career-high 30 kills in Temple's five-set win vs. Princeton at the Temple Invitational, which is the second-most kills by any player in The American in a single match so far this season. She currently ranks second in the league with 3.84 kills per set.
PHILADELPHIA - After a one-year hiatus, the Big 5 Tournament is back for the area's Division I volleyball teams. Temple will head to the nearby Palestra this weekend to face La Salle, Villanova and host Penn. The Owls (6-3) will play La Salle (6-6) first, on Friday, Sept. 19 at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, Temple will play Villanova (5-7) at 10:00 a.m. and then have a long break before taking on Penn (2-5) at 7:00 p.m.
HEADLINES
•    The Owls started the season 6-0 with two tournament titles, winning both the Syracuse Invitational and their own Temple Invitational...Temple is now 6-3 overall after suffering three very close losses at the LIU Blackbird Invitational this past weekend.
•    Temple took both Boston College and LIU Brooklyn to five sets before falling narrowly, and lost a four-set match to Northern Kentucky.
•    The Big 5 Tournament returns to its typical format in 2014 after Penn hosted a tournament by a different name in 2013 and Villanova did not participate...The Owls won the most recent Big 5 title in 2012, going 2-1 with wins over Penn and La Salle and a loss to Villanova.
•    The Big 5 Tournament began in 2009 and has been held every year since, apart from 2013.
•    La Salle is experiencing a turnaround this season under new head coach Caitlin Rimgaila...The Explorers went 1-31 last season but have started at 6-6 so far in 2014.
•    Sophomore Kirsten Overton currently ranks 23rd among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .428.
•    Senior libero Alyssa Drachslin was named the Tournament MVP of the Temple Invitational, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior Jennifer Iacobini and freshman Dara Peric.
•    Drachslin averaged 4.75 digs per set during the Temple Invitational, and tied her career high with 28 digs in the win vs. Princeton.
•    Overton was named the Tournament MVP of the Syracuse Invitational, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team and the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll.
•    Sophomore Caroline Grattan joined Overton on the Syracuse Invitational All-Tournament Team.
•    Grattan leads the Owls with 142 kills so far (3.84 per set), which ranks second in The American.
BIG 5 TOURNAMENT HISTORYÂ Â Â
The Big 5 Tournament returns to its typical format in 2014, featuring the Owls alongside Penn, La Salle and Villanova. In 2013, Penn hosted a tournament under a different name, with Temple, La Salle and Weber State competing.
The Owls won the most recent Big 5 title in 2012, going 2-1 with wins over Penn and La Salle and a loss to Villanova. The Big 5 Tournament began in 2009, and has been held every year since (at Penn), apart from 2013.Â
OVERTON, OVER AND OVER AGAINÂ Â Â
Sophomore middle blocker Kirsten Overton notched a .652 hitting percentage in Temple's five-set win at Syracuse, while also knocking down a career-high 15 kills in that contest. For the opening weekend of play, Overton hit a conference-leading .592.
Overton's efforts led to her being named the Syracuse Invitational Tournament MVP, and she was also named to The American's Weekly Honor Roll.
At the LIU Blackbird Invitational on Sept. 12, Overton hit .700 with 15 kills on 20 attempts and just one error. That percentage ranks as the top performance in the conference so far this season. Overall, Overton ranks 23rd among all players in NCAA Division I with a hitting percentage of .428, and ranks second in The American.
GRATTAN STEPPING UPÂ Â Â
Sophomore Caroline Grattan came into the year as the leader among returning players for kills from 2013, and she has only put up even stronger numbers so far. Grattan averaged 4.18 kills per set over Temple's three matches (all wins) at the Syracuse Invitational, totaling 46 kills overall. She recorded 15 kills against both Niagara and Delaware State (three-set sweeps) and tallied 16 kills in the five-set win against Syracuse.
Grattan, along with Overton, was named to the Syracuse Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Grattan knocked down a career-high 30 kills in Temple's five-set win vs. Princeton at the Temple Invitational, which is the second-most kills by any player in The American in a single match so far this season. She currently ranks second in the league with 3.84 kills per set.
Ep. 10: Temple Homecoming Preview; Volleyball Assistant Coach Taylor Davenport
Tuesday, October 07
Ep. 9: Head Women's Soccer Coach Chris Shaw
Friday, October 03
Ep. 8: Temple Athletics Weekly Recap; Women's Cross Country Runner Amelia Sabatino
Tuesday, September 30
Ep. 7: Temple Field Hockey Alumna Cherifa Howarth
Friday, September 26
