Volleyball Wins 3-2 at SMU; Owls Earn Fifth-Straight Victory

Sunday, October 9

Dallas, Texas.

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

12-4, 5-1AAC

SMU

12-6, 5-1AAC

TEMPLE

SMU

Volleyball Wins 3-2 at SMU; Owls Earn Fifth-Straight Victory

10.9.16 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

DALLAS -- The Temple volleyball team handed defending American Athletic Conference champion, SMU, a 3-2 loss on their home court on Sunday afternoon. The Owls took the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-23, before SMU answered with 25-21 and 25-19 wins, forcing a fifth set. In the final frame, Temple won 15-9 to seal the match, moving to 12-4 overall, 5-1 in conference play. The Mustangs fall to 12-6, dropping their first conference match to stand at 5-1.

Temple held SMU to just a .154 attack, also out-digging the Mustangs, 90-82 en route to the victory. In the match-deciding frame, Temple's strong serving and great blocking stifled the SMU offense, as the hosts hit only -.069.

"Going into the match, we knew we'd have to defend really well," said head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. "SMU is a really good hitting team and they are a great blocking team, so we knew it was going to be a battle at the net. Today, we kept battling, and we got the kills when we needed them, and if we play like a team like this, we'll have a shot to beat anyone."

The Owls had three players in double-digit in kills, led by a 19-kill, 17-dig double-double from junior Irem Asci. Junior Izzy Rapacz and senior Tyler Davis each notched 12 kills, with Rapacz adding nine digs and four blocks. Junior setter Kyra Coundourides tallied the Owls' second double-double of the match with 47 assists and 18 digs, tying a career-best.

Also hitting a career-bests were sophomores Mia Heirakuji and Iva Deak and junior Dara Peric. Heirakuji racked up 25 digs, earning match-high honors, while Deak tallied eight blocks, also adding seven kills. Peric tallied 17 digs, a career-high. Elsewhere for the Owls, senior Kirsten Overton notched five kills and three blocks.

In set one, Temple broke an 8-8 tie with a 5-1 run, backed by kills from Deak and Asci and a block from Davis and Deak to make it 13-9. SMU cut the lead to 13-11, but the Owls forged ahead to a 23-17 advantage. From there, the teams traded sideouts until Temple won the set on a Coundourides kill.

SMU had the early advantage in the second set, going up 4-0 and holding the lead until Temple tied things at 7-7 with an ace, a Rapacz kill, and a Mustangs' error. The set was tied four more times until a SMU run put the hosts up 18-15. Temple answered with a 5-1 surge to go ahead 20-19. The lead changed hands two more times until an SMU ball-handling error and a Temple block from Overton and Asci gave the Owls a 25-23 win.

SMU answered with wins in the third and fourth sets to tie the match at 2-2. In the third, the Mustangs opened with a 9-3 lead, but the Owls tied things at 19-19 late. SMU got the final run, however, taking set three, 25-21. In the fourth, Temple again tied the frame late in the action (18-18) before a final SMU surge gave the Mustangs the set, 25-19.

In the fifth and final frame, Rapacz had four kills and Asci and Davis had two each to seal the set (15-9) and the match (3-2) for the Owls. Temple opened with a 6-3 lead and later squashed a 3-1 SMU run that narrowed the gap to 9-7. The Owls then won it all with back-to-back kills from Rapacz.

Box Score (PDF)