Temple Volleyball Goes "Back to Basics" for 2019

PHILADELPHIA -- The 2018 season did not go how the Owls wanted it to. Predicted to finish third in the conference, behind two NCAA teams, and even garnering a first place vote, the team struggled with consistency and finished 8-22 overall, 5-13 in the American. The season wasn't a wash, though, as Temple hit its stride in the homestretch, winning three of its final four matches to close the season.

After winter break, the team took that energy from the last two weeks of the season, got back into the gym, and had what head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam described as "one of the best spring seasons, if not the best, since I've been here."

So how did they make such a turnaround in a few months? By going back to basics.

"A lot of the focus was on the basic skills, but also the basics of running a program and the basics of culture and establishing a team culture," noted Ganesharatnam. "I think we really did a good job transferring what we started it in the spring, throughout the summer, and into the preseason. We were very pleased with the way preseason went overall."

So for this 2019 Temple team, the disappointment of an 8-22 season is all but forgotten. It's a completely new team, with a new attitude, and a new approach. The Cherry and White got back to basics and are ready to hit the court on Friday.

THE TEAM
> Temple returns eight letterwinners from the 2018 season, including its top hitter and top setter from a year ago.
> This season's roster features just one senior, welcoming three freshmen and one transfer to the team of 13.

PIN HITTERS
> Temple returns junior outside hitter Katerina Papazoglou, who led Temple with 2.43 kills per set last year, and added 2.91 digs per frame to her all-around game.
> Also returning at the outside for the Owls is 2017 All-Conference selection Dana Westfield, who averaged 2.22 kills per set in 2018.
> Sophomore standouts Miray Bolukbasi, Peyton Boyd, and Gem Grimshaw return for their second seasons in Cherry and White, after gaining valuable experience last year. Bolukbasi is another versatile player who averaged 2.24 kills per set and 1.07 digs per frame. Boyd picked up 1.55 kills and 0.52 blocks per set a year ago, while Grimshaw tallied 1.46 kills per frame in 2018.
> Adding to the depth this year is newcomer Naomi Janetzke, a 6-2 outside from Germany, whose experience with her national team will provide valuable experience for Temple.

MIDDLES
> In the middle, junior Baleigh Jean-Philippe returns after her strongest season with the Owls. She ranked second on the team in blocks a year ago, averaging 0.82 per set, while adding 56 total kills.
> Sophomore Xeryah Salanoa, a 6-0 utility athlete who can play right side or middle, bolsters Temple at the net, returning from an injury that kept her off the court last season.
> New to the Owls' middle corps this season is Kayla Spells, a 6-0 freshman from Cary, N.C., who garnered Academic All-American honors in high school.

SETTERS
> Temple returns sophomore Tyler Lindgren as the captain of the offense, as she led the team with 5.79 assists per game in 2019. Lindgren added 2.09 digs per set last year, which ranked fifth on the team.
> Lindgren will be joined by transfer junior Selina Merfol (5-10, Apeldoorn, Netherlands), who twice led her Columbia College team to the NAIA National Championship game.

DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
> Libero Averi Salvador is back for her junior season, after a solid 2018 campaign that saw her contribute 2.77 digs per set.
> Salvador will head up Temple's defense with a fellow Hawaiian, freshman Nikki Saito, from Honolulu.

TOURNAMENT PLAY BEGINS
> Temple will open the 2019 season with back-to-back road tournaments, before their home-opener, the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge September 13-14 at McGonigle Hall.
> First up, the Owls will travel to the UMBC Invitational, taking on Fairfield (10:00 a.m.) and Lafayette (4:00 p.m.) on Friday and host UMBC (2:00 p.m.) on Saturday.

Temple University Athletics

Temple Volleyball Goes "Back to Basics" for 2019

Players Mentioned

Miray Bolukbasi

Peyton Boyd

Gem Grimshaw

Naomi Janetzke

Baleigh Jean-Philippe

Tyler Lindgren

Selina Merfol

Katerina Papazoglou

Nikki Saito

Xeryah Salanoa

Averi Salvador

Kayla Spells

Dana Westfield

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