2015 Temple Volleyball Season Preview

Owl sophomore Dara Peric is the reigning American Freshman of the Year

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

2015 Temple Volleyball Season Preview

8.12.15 | Women's Volleyball

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team is coming off a 2014 season that exceeded expectations… in everyone's eyes but their own. Last season's squad was picked to finish ninth in the American Athletic Conference, but when the dust settled, the Owls ended the year tied for second place overall.

This season's Temple team is not likely to be overlooked. The Owls return a veteran squad that lost just one starter to graduation, while adding three solid freshmen recruits and a talented transfer. However, while last year's preseason ranking may have lit a fire under the team, this season's third-place preseason ranking doesn't change the expectations for fifth-year head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam.

"We're not too worried about outside expectations or how we're ranked," he said. "Right now, we're focused on integrating the new players into the team, and also getting better as a whole. If we can focus on that, it will put us in a good position to compete with anyone."

And while the team doesn't put much stock into the preseason poll, Ganesharatnam recognizes the challenges and opportunities that this season's squad will have.
"We're in a different position as a program and a team that we've been in in the past," noted Ganesharatnam. "That in itself presents different challenges. We're not in a position where we go out and we're always the underdog and we're able to play without any pressure. And that is what makes this season exciting and intriguing."

Temple returns depth at every position. The attack, led by juniors Tyler Davis and Caroline Grattan, and sophomores Dara Peric, and Izzy Rapacz, features a pair of returning All-Conference selections in Davis and Peric, the reigning American Freshman of the Year. The group, who has players which can play on both the outside and right side, also added sophomore Irem Asci, a transfer from Charlotte, who led her previous team in kills last season.

"We have a lot of exciting players on the pins," said Ganesharatnam. "We're excited and comfortable with both the quantity and quality of the players we have in that group. We have different options on both pins and because of that, we're a little more difficult to read. With all the returning talent, we've become a multi-dimensional team on offense."

In the middle, Temple has a pair of veterans returning, with a talented sophomore and freshman also in the mix. Junior Kirsten Overton had a breakout season in 2014, culminating in a second-team All-Conference selection, while veteran Halle McCullough also returns at the net for her senior season.

"Kirsten is a very, very hard worker and has improved every year for us," highlighted Ganesharatnam. "I'm really happy with the development she's made so far and she will do big things for us again this season. Halle has a much better idea of what we expect this year. She gives us a physicality in the middle that we haven't necessarily had in the past."

Overton and McCullough will be joined in the middle by sophomore Jeanine Simmons and freshman Carla Guennewig. Simmons saw action in a handful of sets last year, while Guennewig will enter her rookie season, coming from a high-level club program in Germany.

Temple can't be set up much better than with senior Sandra Sydlik returning to run the offense. The Germany-native is the reigning American Athletic Conference Setter of the Year, as well as an honorable mention All-Region selection and a first-team All-Conference honoree.

"Sandra is looking really sharp and is very focused," noted Ganesharatnam. "She has some goals for herself and for the team and she's very motivated to finish her career on a high note."

Joining Sydlik on the roster as a setter is freshman Hannah Vandegrift. Ganesharatnam likes the setup that she will have at Temple for her development as a collegiate player. "Hannah has a great opportunity to learn the position here. She has a great mentor on the court in Sandra and a great setters coach in Akiko [Hatakeyama]," he said. "Hannah is a very talented young player with a lot of abilities and she will be a great setter for us in the future."

At libero, senior Alyssa Drachslin returns as a two-year starter and is joined by classmate Kayla Yingling in leading a deep group of defensive specialists. "Alyssa is another player who is very driven and focused. She's seen the transformation of the program, so she wants to do her part to leave a legacy," said Ganesharatnam. "Kayla is a great teammate and a great player to coach. She's not a back-up, she's a valid option for us. She showed what she could do at the end of last season and will hopefully build on that this year."

Drachslin and Yingling flank the group that also features returning sophomores Geena Bevenour and Malia Smith, and newcomer, freshman Mia Heirakuji.
"We're very deep at the defensive position and all of our players can step up," added Ganesharatnam. "Geena and Malia are both hard workers and are going to get reps, and Mia is picking things up really fast. She's a very talented libero and is going to become a really good addition for us."

Although Temple has a deep crop of players at each position, the Owls will be tested right out of the gate. In what Ganesharatnam referred to as the "most competitive schedule since I've been at Temple," the Owls face three 2014 NCAA teams in the first two weeks of the season, including #13 Oregon in their first match-up of 2015.

"We have a very exciting and challenging non-conference schedule," added Ganesharatnam. "As a competitor, it doesn't matter if you're a player or a coach, you always want to compete against the best teams possible. It's a great opportunity for us to see where we are and where we stand on our progress. It will also give us a good indicator of what we need to work on for the start of conference play."

Following the challenging non-conference slate, Temple can't rest on its laurels, as a third season in the American Athletic Conference awaits. Five American teams finished the 2014 season with an RPI of 100 or lower, including Temple, who finished at 62 last year.

"The conference itself has gotten deeper and more competitive than it has in the past," said Ganesharatnam. "The league retained a lot of the talent it had it 2014 and also added a lot of new talent. The American is going to be much deeper than it was even a year ago. It's a different look and a bigger challenge than it was last year. We have our work cut out for us."

As challenging as the schedule is, the 2015 Temple Owls see it as an opportunity to develop and to make a name for themselves. Ganesharatnam thinks it's a really exciting time for the program. "I have to develop as a coach, adjust and adapt and get better, and so do the players," he said. "Overall, we're excited about the season and our schedule, and we don't look at it as a challenge, but as an opportunity. We get to add another facet to our skill set and we can't wait."