Volleyball Unveils 2019 Schedule

PHILADELPHIA -- Temple Volleyball head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam has announced the Owls' 2019 schedule, which features a mix of non-conference tournament play and a challenging conference regular season. A solid slate of new and familiar opponents will culminate in the first ever American Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, as Temple looks to return to postseason play.

"We're very excited for the 2019 season because the team worked very hard in the spring season, both in the gym and creating a cohesive unit," said Ganesharatnam. "We put a lot of emphasis on team chemistry this spring. So that, combined with a tough schedule, will hopefully put us in a good position to compete for a conference tournament spot."

Temple's slate begins August 30, as the Owls open at the UMBC Tournament in Catonsville, Md. The Cherry and White will play Fairfield, Lafayette, and the host Retrievers, in the two-day event. The following weekend, Temple is in Washington, D.C., playing in the two-day American University Tournament, and will face Ohio and Winthrop as well as the Eagles on their home court.

Temple hosts its first home games of the season on Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14, hosting the 2019 Cherry & White Challenge. The Owls will welcome Columbia, Lehigh, and Radford to McGonigle Hall for the event.

The non-conference slate wraps up with the Big 5 Challenge at Villanova, as the Owls will play Princeton on September 19 and the Wildcats on September 20.

Temple will then move on to a 16-match American Athletic Conference regular season, playing for a tournament bid for the first time ever. The Owls again expect a tough schedule of games, as the American boasted a pair of top-25 RPI teams last season in UCF (10) and Cincinnati (24), with the conference combining for the seventh-best RPI in the NCAA.

Six conference teams earned postseason bids a year ago, with UCF and Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament field, and USF, Tulane, Tulsa and Wichita State in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The league's six postseason bids were the most in conference history.

Temple opens on the road at USF (Sept. 27) and UCF (Sept. 29), before hosting back-to-back home series. UConn and Houston will visit McGonigle Hall October 4 and 6 and ECU and Cincinnati head to Philadelphia the following weekend. Temple then plays at SMU (Oct. 18) and Memphis (Oct. 20) before heading back home to close the month with Tulsa (Oct. 25) and Wichita State (Oct. 27).

November sees the Owls play three series, starting with back-to-back road trips. Temple plays at Cincinnati (Nov. 1) and ECU (Nov. 3) and then closes the regular season road slate at UConn (Nov. 8) and Tulane (Nov. 10). The Owls close out McGonigle Hall action with UCF (Nov. 14) and USF (Nov. 16).

New this year for the Owls and the American Athletic Conference is a conference tournament, as the league will sponsor a postseason event for the first time in its seven year history. The top six teams (three in each division), based on regular season finish, will compete in a tournament, with the winner receiving the conference's NCAA automatic bid. The event will feature three rounds of action, hosted by UCF, last season's top finisher, beginning November 22 and going to November 24.

Temple University Athletics

Volleyball Unveils 2019 Schedule

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