Volleyball Set for Philadelphia Big 5 Tournament

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team will compete in the 2016 Philadelphia Big 5 Tournament this weekend. The Owls will face Villanova on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Palestra, and then head to Tom Gola Arena to face La Salle (11:00 a.m.) and Penn () on Saturday.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, September 16 (at the Palestra)
   4:30 pm - Temple vs. Villanova
   7:00 pm - La Salle vs. Penn

Saturday, September 17 (at La Salle)
   11:00 am - Temple vs. La Salle
   1:30 pm - Villanova vs. Penn
   5:00 pm - Temple vs. Penn
   7:30 pm - Villanova vs. La Salle

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 3, UNH 1
   Temple opened day two of the Hilton Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge with a 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 18-25, 25-15) over UNH.
   Juniors Irem Asci (16 kills, 20 digs), Izzy Rapacz (16 kills, 19 digs), and Kyra Coundourides (27 assists, 14 digs) all tallied double-doubles. Senior Kirsten Overton came just one block away from a double-double, tallying 12 kills (hitting .706) with nine blocks. Rounding out the box score, senior Tyler Davis had seven kills and three blocks, while sophomore Mia Heirakuji added nine digs.

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 3, RUTGERS 0
   Temple finished its 2-0 day with a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-14, 25-18 ) over Rutgers at the Cherry & White Challenge.
   Individual leaders for the Owls were Asci with 10 kills and five digs, while Deak and Rapcz both recorded eight kills with just one error. Deak finished with a .583 attack, also adding twi blocks, while Rapacz hit .500 with five blocks and seven digs. Coundourides tallied her second double-double of the day with 30 assists and 13 digs, while Overton notched six kills and six blocks.

OVERTON NAMED TO AMERICAN WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
   Kirsten Overton was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the period ending September 11. The senior middle hit .447 in three matches, as Temple went 2-1 at the Cherry & White Challenge.
   An All-Tournament selection, she averaged 2.08 kills per set with 1.58 blocks per set, totaling 24 kills (only 4 errors) and 19 blocks. Overton had at least six kills and four blocks in each of Temple's matches during the week, including a 12-kill no error performance against UNH, where she was just one block shy of a double-double.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
   Temple hits .236 as a team, holding its opponents to a .189 clip. The Owls are led offensively by Asci (4.00 kills/set) and Rapacz (3.25 kills/set) on the outside. In the middle, Overton (1.88 kills/set, 36 blocks) and Deak (1.86 kills/set, 32 blocks) have similar numbers this season, while Coundourides is the top setter, averaging 10.28 assists per set.
   Defensively, Asci tops the Owls at 3.27 digs per set, with Coundourides (2.40 digs/set) and Heirakuji (2.29 digs per set) also contributing.

SCOUTING VILLANOVA
   Villanova, the defending Philadelphia Big 5 Champions, enter this weekend's event with a 7-3 overall record. The Wildcats, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, are coming off a 3-0 sweep over Lehigh in their home opener on Tuesday.
   Allie Loitz leads the Wildcats' offense, averaging 3.74 kills per set with middle Amanda Pedersen-Henry averaging 3.00 kills per frame. Claire Crutchfield contributes 2.84 kills per set to an offense that is hitting .264 this season.
   Emma Decker averages 11.32 assists per set, while defensively, Allison Fitzgerald (3.39 digs per set), Regan Lough (2.93 digs per set), Pedersen-Henry (29 blocks) and Loitz (21 blocks) all contribute.

SCOUTING LA SALLE
   The Explorers are 7-4 on the season, and will play FDU on Wednesday before the Philadelphia Big 5 Tournament. So far this season, La Salle is off to the best start in program history.
   Devin Corah leads the team in kills and has a .254 attack percentage, while Catherine Edgington leads the Explorers with 27 total blocks. Jensen Sharrits tops out the defense, averaging 5.39 digs per set, while Katie Wood averages 10.03 assists per set, leading the offense to a .240 attack.

SCOUTING PENN
   Penn enters the tournament with a 3-5 overall record, most recently topping Lafayette, 3-1.
   As a team, the Quakers hit .181, led by Courtney Quinn's 2.86 kills per set. Also aiding the offense, Caroline Furrer has added 2.77 kills per set, while Hayley Molnar averages 2.10 kills per frame. Setter Sydney Morton averages 3.67 assists per set, while Michelle Pereira tops the defense with 4.31 digs per set. At the net, Taylor Cooper's 15 total blocks lead the team.

OWLS VS. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
   Temple is a combined 96-31 against Philadelphia Big 5 opponents.
   The Owls have the best overall record against La Salle, going 53-1 against the Explorers, with the only Temple loss coming in 2010. Against Villanova, Temple is 23-18, but the Wildcats took the last match-up, a 3-1 win at Temple in last year's Big 5 Tournament. Against Penn, the Owls are 20-12 all-time, having won two in a row against the Quakers.

TEMPLE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
   Temple won the 2016 Sonesta Hotel Temple Invitational with a pair of victories last weekend. The Owls topped Northern Arizona, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, 3-1, and then swept Hampton, 3-0, to claim the title.

TEMPLE PICKED TO FINISH SECOND
   Three Temple volleyball players earned American Athletic Conference pre-season honors, while the Owls were picked to finish second in a vote of the leagues' coaches. Temple's three selections -- senior Kirsten Overton, and juniors Irem Asci and Izzy Rapacz, were the most for any American squad.
   Temple earned two first-place votes in the coaches' poll, and finished in second place in the final tally with 88 points. The Owls ended last season in second place with a 15-5 conference mark and a 24-8 overall record and return three of their four All-Conference selections from 2015.

TWO TEMPLE MATCHES TO AIR ON AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK
   Two Temple volleyball matches will be part of the American Digital Network's 18-game fall schedule. The Owls will air live on ADN for matches against UCF (away) and SMU (home). ADN is covering a total of three volleyball matches this fall.

Live Stats (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday) | Match Notes (PDF)

Volleyball Set for Philadelphia Big 5 Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Irem Asci

Kyra Coundourides

Tyler Davis

Mia Heirakuji

Kirsten Overton

Izabella Rapacz

Temple University Athletics