Volleyball Hosts #24 Wichita State on Friday

Friday, September 22

McGonigle Hall

7:00 PM

Temple University

#24 Wichita State

Photo by: Nguyen Ho

Volleyball Hosts #24 Wichita State on Friday

9.18.17 | Women's Volleyball

Watch Live Match Notes (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team will welcome a new opponent to the conference on Friday night, as the Owls take on #24 Wichita State at 7:00 p.m. at McGonigle Hall. Temple and WSU will meet for the first time in program history in a match televised by the American Digital Network. The Shockers joined the American Athletic Conference for the 2017-18 school year.

AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK
> Broadcasts on the American Digital Network can be viewed by visiting TheAmerican.org or via the Roku app.
> The direct link to the Temple vs. Wichita State match is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZCWbAHa_Tk
> The match is the first of the 2017 volleyball season to appear on ADN.

CHERRY OUT
> The match will serve as a "Cherry Out," and all fans are encouraged to wear cherry.
> Free cherry t-shirts will be given to fans, while supplies last

LAST TIME OUT
> Temple volleyball rallied for a third set victory, but Villanova won 3-1, on Friday at Jake Nevins Field House.
> All four sets were decided by five points or less, with Villanova taking the 25-21, 25-23 23-25, 25-20 victory.
> Temple hit just .146 as a team, while the Wildcats hit .242.
> Senior Irem Asci tallied a match and season-high 19 kills, also adding eight digs and three aces.
> Junior Iva Deak also hit a season best with 10 kills, adding a team-high five blocks.
> Junior Hannah Vandegrift tallied her first double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs.
> Senior Dara Peric led the Owls with 17 digs, also adding five kills.

SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Asci leads the team with 2.91 kills per set, also averaging 2.14 digs per set.
> Senior Izzy Rapacz averages 2.72 kills per set with 1.36 blocks per frame.
> Redshirt Freshman Dana Westfield contributes 2.32 kills per frame to round out the top pin hitters.
> Janine Simmons (1.64 kills/set) and Iva Deak (1.44 kills/set) shore up the middle for the Owls.
> Running mostly a 6-2 offense, senior Kyra Coundourides averages 6.96 assists per set, while Vandegrift adds 5.15 per set.
> Junior Mia Heirakuji tops the Owls' defense with 3.25 digs per set, while Peric adds 2.78 per frame.
> As a team, the Owls hit .219, holding opponents to a .178 attack.

BLOCK PARTY
> Temple is 12th in the nation as a team in blocks, averaging 3.02 per set.
> Individually, Rapacz (1.36/set), Simmons (1.36/set), and Deak (1.36/set) are one, two, and three in the conference in the category.
> All three are in the top 50 nationally in blocks per set.

SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
> #24 Wichita State is 8-3 overall, breaking into the national poll for the second time this season.
> The Shockers are coming off a 1-1 weekend, which included a 3-1 win over #8 Creighton and a 3-0 loss to #19 Iowa State.
> The preseason favorite in the conference, WSU hits a league-best .243 as a team.
> Individually, the Shockers are led by Tabitha Brown's 4.15 kills per set, while she also adds 2.49 digs per frame.
> Abbie Lehman (2.82 kills/set) and Mikeala Raudsepp (2.54 kills/set) bolster the Shocker offense.
> Emily Heibert is the primary setter, averaging 10.49 assists per frame with 2.51 digs per set.
> Defensively, Giorgia Civita contributes 5.51 digs per frame, while Lehman leads the team with 42 total blocks.

THE SERIES
> Friday's match will be the first ever meeting between the Owls and the Shockers.

WHAT'S NEXT
> The Owls will host Memphis on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.