Volleyball Heads to UConn for Wednesday Match-Up

Wednesday, September 28

Storrs, Conn.

5:00 p.m.

Temple University

UConn

Volleyball Heads to UConn for Wednesday Match-Up

9.27.16 | Women's Volleyball

Live Stats (UConn)Video (vs. UConn $)Live Stats (Memphis)Video (vs. Memphis)

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team has a split schedule of road matches this week, heading to UConn on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and then playing at Memphis on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

FOLLOW
• Temple at UConn: Live Stats | Live Video ($)
• Temple at Memphis: Live Stats | Live Video

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 3, HOUSTON 1 (AMERICAN)
   Led by a career-high 26 kills from junior Irem Asci, Temple topped visiting Houston, 3-1, on Sunday. The Owls notched a season-best .338 attack to rebound from a 25-23 set one loss, taking the final three frames, 25-21, 25-17, 25-17.
   Individually, Asci led the Owl offense with her career-best 26 kills. She hit .388 with seven digs, four blocks, and two aces. Senior Tyler Davis finished with 10 kills to just one error, tying a team-best with a .429 attack. Junior Izzy Rapacz notched eight kills, also hitting .429. Sophomore Iva Deak had six kills and five blocks, while classmate Carla Guennewig added five kills. Junior Kyra Coundourides recorded 40 assists and 10 digs for her third-straight double-double.

LAST TIME OUT: TULANE 3, TEMPLE 2 (AMERICAN)
   Temple rallied from 0-1 and 1-2 deficits, but ultimately fell in a five-set marathon to visiting Tulane on Friday. The Green Wave took the match 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 22-20.
   Junior Irem Asci racked up 21 kills and nine digs, while classmate Izzy Rapacz had 17 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. Junior Kyra Coundourides also finished with a double-double, tallying 57 assists with a career-best 18 digs, also adding four aces. Senior Tyler Davis had 10 kills, while sophomore Iva Deak notched nine with three blocks. Senior Kirsten Overton rounded out the offense with seven kills and four blocks. Defensively, sophomore Mia Heirakuji tied for team-high honors with 18 digs.

ASCI NAMED TO AMERICAN WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
   Temple junior Irem Asci was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the period ending September 25. The outside hitter racked up a massive 5.22 kills per set, also adding 1.78 digs per set as Temple topped Houston and fell to Tulane.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
   Asci leads the Owls' offense with 4.31 kills per set, which ranks her second in The American and 27th in the nation. Rapacz is second on the Owls with 3.02 kills per set, also ranking fourth with 2.36 digs per set. Overton (1.77 kills/set, .355%) and Deak (1.75 kills/set, .340%) shore up the middle attack.
   Coundourides runs the offense to the tune of 10.51 assists per set, also adding 2.52 digs per frame. Vandegrift adds 4.43 assists per set.
   Defensively, Heirakuji and Asci lead the Owls with 2.96 digs per set. Overton tops Temple at the net with 54 total blocks, including seven solo, while Rapacz has 50 total blocks and Deak, 44.
   As a team, Temple hits .240, holding opponents to a .183 attack. The Owls average 2.36 blocks per set, which leads the conference. Temple is also third in the conference with 13.57 kills per set.

SCOUTING UCONN
UConn enters Wednesday's match with an 11-2 overall record, including a 2-0 start to American Athletic Conference play. The Huskies opened conference play at home, topping Houston, 3-0, and Tulane, 3-1, marking their fourth win in a row.
   UConn boasts the conference's best offense, as the Huskies lead The American with 14.98 kills per set, a number that puts them third in the nation. Rookie Kayla Williams averaged 3.83 kills per set, with a .318 attack, while Kenya Cason averages 2.86 kills per set. Hayley Cmajdalka contributes 2.02 kills per set, while leading the team and the conference with a .411 hitting percentage.
   Defensively, the Huskies have five players that average 2.05 digs per set or higher, led by Jade Strawberry and Cason who tally 2.57 per frame. At the net, Tosin Adeniyi leads the way with 37 total blocks, nine solo, while Cmjdalka has 20 total blocks.

OWLS VS. THE HUSKIES
   Temple leads the all-time series with UConn, 7-4. The teams split the season series last year, with UConn winning 3-2 at home, and Temple winning 3-1 on its home court.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
   Memphis enters this week's matches with an 8-6 overall mark, still looking for their first conference victory (0-2). The Tigers fell to both UCF and USF in their opening series.
   Offensively, Catlin Lilly averages 2.76 kills per set, with McKenzie Hayes (2.38 kills/set), Summer Morgan (2.22 kills/set), and Addison Root (2.20 kills/set) all aiding the offense. Regan Comperry is the primary setter, averaging 8.32 assists per set.
   As a team, Memphis hits .190, holding opponents to a .170 attack. Michaella Moss leads the defense to the tune of 4.26 digs per set, while Summer tops the team with 48 total blocks.

OWLS VS. THE TIGERS
   Temple holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series against Memphis, including winning three-straight.

PHILADELPHIA BIG 5 CHAMPIONS
   Temple won the 2016 Philadelphia Big 5 Championship for the third time in program history. The Cherry and White swept Villanova (3-0) on Friday, and then topped La Salle (3-1) and Penn (3-0) on Saturday to claim the title.

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 on Friday, and then swept Hampton, 3-0, on Saturday.

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.

Weekly Match Notes (PDF)