Volleyball Travels to Seton Hall Invitational this Weekend

Friday, September 4

South Orange, N.J.

4:30 p.m.

Temple University

Hofstra

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Volleyball Travels to Seton Hall Invitational this Weekend

9.3.15 | Women's Volleyball

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team hits the road on Friday, heading to Seton Hall for the two-day Seton Hall Invitational. The tournament features Seton Hall, Hofstra, and Notre Dame.

THE SCHEDULE
The Owls will open play on Friday at 4:30 p.m. taking on Hofstra. Saturday's matches see Temple playing Notre Dame at 12:00 p.m. and Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE
The Owls are coming off a runner-up finish at their home tournament, going 2-1 at the event. Temple opened the season with their lone loss of the tournament, an 3-0 loss to #13 Oregon. The team rebounded nicely on Saturday, posting back-to-back sweeps against Navy and St. John's.

OWL LEADERS
In three matches, sophomore transfer Irem Asci leads the Owls with 4.78 kills per set. Also for Temple, junior Tyler Davis has compiled 4.17 kills per set, while sophomore Izzy Rapacz has added 3.83, with both hitting .500 or above on the young season. Senior setter Sandra Sydlik averaged 12.44 assists per set in the tournament, while classmate Alyssa Drachslin headed up the defense with 5.89 digs per set. Asci and Sydlik earned All-Tournament honors.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
Hofstra has already played five matches this season, carrying a 4-1 record into the tournament. The Pride went 3-1 at the Maryland Invitational, defeating Duquesne, Kent State, and Morgan State, while dropping their only match to the hosts, Maryland. Following the tournament, Hofstra played their home-opener on Tuesday, defeating Siena, 3-1. Veronika Kostova leads the Pride's offense with 4.17 kills per set, recording 12 or more kills in all five of Hofstra's matches this season. Leticia Valente has also contributed on offense, tallying 2.83 kills per set, while setter Hannah Klemm has done her part, distributing 10.94 assists per set. Corrina Delgadillo and Luisa Domingues have anchored the defense, both averaging over 3.00 digs per set.

SCOUTING SETON HALL
Seton Hall is 1-2 after competing at the UNLV Invitational to open the 2015 season. The Pirates earned their lone win in a five-set marathon against Central Arkansas, but fell to Nebraska-Omaha and UNLV. Offensively, Cherise Hennigan and Danielle Shroeder each averaged over 2.8 kills per set for the Pirates, while Sophia Coffey dished out 8.18 assists per set. Amanda Hansen racked up five blocks, including two solo, while on defense, Tessa Fournier averaged 4.18 digs per set.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame also carries a 1-2 overall record into the weekend. The Irish opened the season at the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raider Bash, falling to Bowling Green, 3-1, and Cleveland State, 3-2, before topping the hosts, 3-1, in their final match of the weekend. Katie Higgins has led the Notre Dame attack with 3.31 kills per set, while Sam Fry has contributed 3.00. Maddie Dilfer handles primary setting duties, handing out 9.85 assists per stanza, while Ryann Dejarld has captained the back row, averaing 4.08 digs per set.

OWLS AGAINST THE FIELD
Temple is 11-10 all-time against the tournament field. The Owls are 8-1 against Seton Hall, with their first meeting dating back to 1986, but their last coming in 2000. Temple is 3-9 all-time against Hofstra, losing their last two meetings. This will be the first ever meeting between Temple and Notre Dame volleyball.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats: vs. Hofstra | vs. Notre Dame | vs. Seton Hall
Live Video: vs. Seton Hall

NEXT UP
After the Seton Hall Invitational, Temple returns home for the Hilton Penns Landing Cherry & White Challenge. Montana, Duquesne, and Binghamton will be coming to town. Action begins at McGonigle Hall on September 11, and the tournament features two matches Friday and four on Saturday.

Match Notes (PDF)