Temple University Athletics
Temple University
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Morgan State
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Volleyball Opens Season with 3-2 Thriller Over Morgan State
1.23.21 | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA — The Temple volleyball team opened the long awaited 2020-21 season with a thriller that was worth the wait. Temple rallied from a 2-1 deficit and won a 3-2 match against Morgan State on Saturday night at McGonigle Hall. The Owls used set scores of 25-14, 17-25, 25-27, 25-20, and 15-12 to start the year 1-0.
Match Notes
> Temple last played a match on November 16, 2019 when the Owls also won a 3-2 home court five setter.
> The Owls had 10 players available for the match and all 10 saw action in at least two sets.
> Four freshman made their debuts in Cherry & White during the match, including Ilayda Dincer, Taylor Davenport, and Nina-Symone Williams who all made the starting lineup.
Individual Highlights
> Three player registered double-digit kill performances, led by junior Miray Bolukbasi who tallied 18 kills and 10 digs for a double-double.
> Junior Peyton Boyd came on strong in the final three sets to finish with 13 kills, recording just three errors to hit at a .455 clip.
> Dincer finished with 10 kills, while also adding eight digs.
> Junior Tyler Lindgren tallied the first double-double of the season for Temple with 45 assists and 15 digs.
> Davenport hit a team-best .636 with eight kills, also adding a match-best five aces and four blocks.
> Williams led Temple at the net with five blocks, one solo, while Boyd added four.
> Sophomore Nikki Saito led the Owls with 17 digs, while junior Xeryah Salanoa added a career-high 12 in the win.
Statistically Speaking
> Temple ended with a .210 attack, holding Morgan State to a .155 clip.
> The Owls also held advantages in digs (70-61), blocks (10-8), and aces (11-8).
> Temple sided out 63.6% of the time, while Morgan State finished at a 58.5% sideout percentage.
Set One: Temple 25, Morgan State 14
> Temple got hot midway through the first set, turning a slim 11-9 lead into a large 18-11 advantage.
> After a kill from the Bears, Temple kept its pace, closing out the set on a 6-1 run to take the first set.
Set Two: Morgan State 25, Temple 17
> Neither team created momentum in the early action, settling on a 10-10 tie after the first 20 points.
> Tied still at 15-15, Morgan State began to pull away. The Bears put together a 10-2 run to close out the set and tie the match at 1-1.
Set Three: Morgan State 27, Temple 25
> It was another tight set early in the third, with neither team going up by more than two points.
> Temple tied the match at 19-19 on a Gem Grimshaw kill, but Morgan State used a 5-1 run to go up 24-20 with set point.
> The Owls spoiled five total set points to tie the match at 25-25 on a Taylor Davenport kill.
> However, Morgan State got kills on the next two points to take it 27-25 and go up, 2-1.
Set Four: Temple 25, Morgan State 20
> Needing a win to stay alive, Temple delivered, hitting .344 in the set to take it 25-20.
> Temple went up 8-4 early on a long serving run from Bolukbasi, but Morgan State tied it at 10-10.
> Temple surged forward, going up by three, before Morgan State closed the gap to 20-18.
> The Owls got four of the next five points and then worked around a pair of late kills to force a fifth frame.
Set Five: Temple 15, Morgan State 12
> An early 4-2 Temple lead was erased by Morgan State, who used a 5-2 run to go up 7-6.
> The Owls responded with a surge of their own, going up 10-8 on a Boyd kill.
> Leading 12-11, Temple forced a pair of Bears' attack errors to lead 14-11, before a final Lindgren kill sealed it for the Owls.
Up Next
> Temple plays La Salle next weekend in a two-match series on Friday and Saturday. The Owls will host both at McGonigle Hall.
