Cincinnati Upends Volleyball, 3-2

Friday, November 11

McGonigle Hall

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

18-7, 11-4American

Cincinnati

17-9, 12-3American

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
CINCINNATI	22	25	25	16	15	3
Temple	25	18	22	25	5	2

Photo by: Betsy Manning/Temple University

Cincinnati Upends Volleyball, 3-2

11.11.16 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA -- In a battle of 11-3 teams, it was Cincinnati that ended up on top, as the Bearcats recorded a 3-2 win over Temple in American Athletic Conference volleyball action on Friday night. Cincinnati won with set scores of 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 16-25, and 15-5 to move to 17-9 overall (12-3 American), while Temple dropped to 18-7 overall (11-4 American).

Temple was out-hit by Cincinnati, .252 to .211, but the Owls out-dug the Bearcats, 71-59. After Temple won the first set, Cincinnati went up 2-1 with back-to-back wins in sets two and three. The Owls forced a fifth set with a lopsided victory in the fourth frame, but Cincinnati was nearly flawless on offense in the final frame, hitting .625 (10-0-16) to seal the 3-2 victory.

Three Temple players recorded double-doubles, juniors Irem Asci, Izzy Rapacz, and Kyra Coundourides. Rapacz finished with 18 kills and 18 digs, also adding three blocks, while Asci had 18 kills and 11 digs with two aces. Coundourides ran the offense with 52 assists, also tallying 11 digs. Senior Tyler Davis finished with eight kills, while classmate Kirsten Overton had six kills, hitting .357 with a match-best six blocks. Elsewhere, sophomore Iva Deak had four kills, while junior Dara Peric (12 digs) and sophomore Mia Heirakuji (11 digs) rounded out the box score.

Temple opened the first set with a 9-6 lead, but Cincinnati used a 10-6 edge in play to go up, 16-15. Temple countered with a 7-3 surge that put the Owls on top, 22-19. Cincinnati kept things close, closing the gap to two points, but the Owls finished out set one on a kill from Deak to make it 25-22.

Temple held an 8-6 lead in set two before Cincinnati scored seven-straight to make it a 13-8 match. Temple cut the lead down to two points in two spots, but Cincinnati surged again, this time with four-straight to make it 19-13. The Owls answered with a 4-0 run of their own to make it 19-17 Cincinnati, but the Bearcats closed out the set on a 6-1 run to take it 25-18.

Set three was back-and-forth with neither team taking more than a three-point lead early on. Tied at 15-15, Cincinnati gained the momentum with a 4-1 surge. Temple answered, cutting it to 19-18, but the Bearcats scored five of the next eight points to go up, 24-21. The Owls spoiled set point with a Asci kill, but Cincinnati got a Jordan Thompson kill to take it, 25-22.

In set four, Temple hit .367 to Cincinnati's .119 to tie the match at 2-2. The Owls opened with a 12-7 advantage, before Cincinnati cut it to two, at 16-14. From there, Temple cruised, ending the set on a 9-2 run to win, 25-16.

The fifth set was all Cincinnati, as the Bearcats recorded 10 kills on 16 swings wth no errors. The guests went up 5-2 but Temple cut it to 6-4 on a Davis winner. From there, Cincinnati ended the set and the match with a 9-1 run, winning 15-5, and 3-2, to snap Temple's six-match win streak.

The Owls are back in action on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. hosting East Carolina.

Box Score (PDF)