Volleyball Faces Tulane and Houston on the Road this Weekend

Friday, November 6

New Orleans, La.

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

Tulane

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Volleyball Faces Tulane and Houston on the Road this Weekend

11.5.15 | Women's Volleyball

PHILADELPHIA -- Temple volleyball takes its second-to-last road trip of the year this weekend, heading southwest to face Tulane and Houston. The Owls will play at Tulane on Friday at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. EST) and then head to Houston for a Sunday (1:00 p.m.) clash.

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE
Temple picked up a 3-1 road win over conference-rival Memphis on Sunday afternoon. The Owls topped the Tigers, 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 25-12.
   Temple's offense featured four players who recorded double-figure kill totals, while the team combined to hit .307. Junior Tyler Davis recorded a match-high 13 kills, while classmate Kirsten Overton had 12 kills and three blocks. Sophomores Izzy Rapacz and Irem Asci each tallied 11 kils, while Asci completed a double-double with 12 digs. Sandra Sydlik ran the offense, dishing out 51 assists.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
Temple hits a conference-best .266, while also ranking first with 14.17 kills per set. The Owls are also second in The American in assists per set (13.09).
   Individually, Overton leads The American in hitting percentage (.423) and is sixth in blocks per set (0.83). Asci is fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.69), while Sydlik is second in assists per set (10.99). Alyssa Drachslin ranked sixth in the conference in digs, averaging 4.89 per set.

NATIONALLY-RANKED
Temple appears in the top-25 in two national stat categories this week. Temple is 23rd in Division I in both hitting percentage (.266) and 25th in kills per set (14.17). Additionally, the Owls rank 31st with 13.09 assists per set.
   Individually, Overton ranks 12th in the nation in hitting percentage (.423), while Sydlik ranks 33rd nationally in assists per set (10.99).

OWL LEADERS
Asci's 3.69 kills per set lead Temple, while junior Tyler Davis (2.89) and sophomore Izzy Rapacz (2.51) also bolster the Owl attack. Junior Kirsten Overton leads the team in hitting percentage, attacking at a .423 clip, while also averaging 2.41 kills per set. Senior Sandra Sydlik has dished out 10.99 assists per set.
   Defensively, senior Alyssa Drachslin has racked up 421 total digs, averaging 4.84 per set. Overton leads the Owl blockers, with 84 total, while sophomore Janine Simmons has 79 and Rapacz has 68.
   At the line, Sydlik leads the Owls with 25 aces, while sophomore Deric Peric has 23. Asci has also served well, racking up 19 aces.

SCOUTING TULANE
Tulane is 8-16 overall and 2-10 in The American, having lost nine of their last 10 games. The Green Wave is led by junior Tea Juric's 3.61 kills per set, while Sarah Ray (2.95) and Sarah Strasner (1.77) also boost the Tulane attack. The primary setter is freshman Elizabeth Hurring, dishing out 7.31 assists per set. Following Hurring is Ally Frank with an average of 6.79 assists per set.
   Leading the Green Wave defensively is Lisa Mordell with a total of 347 digs averaging 3.73 digs per set, while top attackers Juric (3.27 d/s) and Ray (2.67 d/s) are also defensive leaders for the Tulane squad. Freshman Dayna Kern tops the team in blocks with a total of 81.

SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston is 15-9 overall and 5-7 in The American. Leading the Cougars and The American with 4.24 kills per set is freshman Brookah Palmer, while junior Hunter Wise (2.28) and sophomore Sarah Afflerbaugh (2.10) also bolster the Houston attack. Sophomore Keandra McCardell runs the offense as the primary setter with 7.65 assists per frame.
   Senior Olivia O'Dell leads the squad defensively, racking up 538 total digs at an average of 5.72 per set. The three-time American Defensive Player of the Week leads all conference members in digs per set. Also for the Cougars, freshman Chanelle Walker leads the block with 98 total, while Wise (55) and senior Courtney Smith (64) are also strong at the net.

OWLS AGAINST THE FIELD
Temple is 6-3 total against Houston and Tulane.
   The Owls and the Cougars have split the all-time series, 3-3. Temple is 3-0 lifetime against Tulane, all regular season American Athletic conference matches.

NEXT UP
Temple returns home to play UCF on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and then plays USF on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

WHITE-OUT McGONIGLE
When the Owls take on UCF on Friday, November 3rd at 6:00 p.m., fans are encouraged to wear white to "white out" McGonigle Hall. Free t-shirts will also be available, first come, first served.

Tulane Live Stats | Tulane Live Video | Houston Live Stats | Houston Live Video | Match Notes (PDF)