Temple University Athletics
Friday, April 2
Cincinnati, Ohio
5:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
Houston
Photo by: Jhalen Wingate
Volleyball Set to Make AAC Tournament Debut vs. Houston
4.1.21 | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team will open play at the 2021 American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday at Cincinnati. The Owls carry the number two seed out of the East Division and will face the top-seeded West Division team, Houston, at 5:00 p.m.
OWL ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple is 10-4 on the season, finishing with a 4-4 mark in conference play. Temple went into the final weekend of the regular season with a tall order, as the Owls needed a sweep of defending regular season and NCAA qualifier, Cincinnati, in a pair of matches, and they did just that. Temple topped Cincinnati 3-1 on Friday and then sealed the tournament bid with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Bearcats on Saturday.
Individually, juniors Miray Bolukbasi (3.74 k/s) and Gem Grimshaw (3.25 k/s) lead Temple's offense, while senior Katerina Papazoglou adds 2.70 kills per set. Junior Tyler Lindgren captains the offense to the tune of 10.17 assists per set. Defensively, freshman Falanika Danielson averages 5.50 digs per set, which ranks first in the conference and 17th nationally. Classmate Taylor Davenport leads the Owls with 65 total blocks, averaging 1.14 per set. As a team, Temple hits .213 which ranks fourth in the conference.
LAST TIME OUT: Temple 3, Cincinnati 2 (19-25, 30-28, 25-16, 21-25, 15-11)
Temple punched its ticket to the AAC Tournament with a thrilling 3-2 win over visiting Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. The Owls hit .250 in the match recording a season-best 14 blocks. Four players finished in double figures in kills, led by a 19-kill performance from Miray Bolukbasi. Taylor Davenport had a career day, tallying collegiate-bests of 12 kills and nine blocks, while also adding five digs. Gem Grimshaw and senior Katerina Papazoglou each tallied 11 kills with Grimshaw adding 11 digs and seven blocks, a career-best. Falanika Danielson finished with 26 digs and three aces.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston enters Friday's match with a 13-5 overall record, including 9-1 in the American. Houston split their final weekend series, falling 3-1 against Wichita State on Friday, but winning 3-0 on Saturday. The Cougars earned the West Division's #1 seed, making their second-straight conference tournament appearance.
Abbie Jackson leads the Cougars with 4.33 kills per set, which ranks second in the conference, while Kortlyn Henderson adds 2.90 kills per frame. Pre-season All-AAC selection Rachel Tullos is sixth in hitting percentage (.317) and 10th in blocks (1.01/set). Setting duties are handled by
TEMPLE VS. HOUSTON
Temple is 9-3 all-time against Houston. Friday's semifinal will be the first meeting between the teams this season. In 2019, Houston won the only match-up, a 3-2 thriller in Philadelphia, breaking a string of six straight wins for Temple in the series.
IF THE OWLS ADVANCE
With a win over Houston, the Owls would advance to the Championship game. Temple would play either the West #2 Tulane or the East #1 UCF. Temple is 7-4 all-time against Tulane, but the teams did not play this season. The Owls are 7-12 all-time against UCF, and dropped a pair of 3-0 matches to the Knights this season.
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OWL ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple is 10-4 on the season, finishing with a 4-4 mark in conference play. Temple went into the final weekend of the regular season with a tall order, as the Owls needed a sweep of defending regular season and NCAA qualifier, Cincinnati, in a pair of matches, and they did just that. Temple topped Cincinnati 3-1 on Friday and then sealed the tournament bid with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Bearcats on Saturday.
Individually, juniors Miray Bolukbasi (3.74 k/s) and Gem Grimshaw (3.25 k/s) lead Temple's offense, while senior Katerina Papazoglou adds 2.70 kills per set. Junior Tyler Lindgren captains the offense to the tune of 10.17 assists per set. Defensively, freshman Falanika Danielson averages 5.50 digs per set, which ranks first in the conference and 17th nationally. Classmate Taylor Davenport leads the Owls with 65 total blocks, averaging 1.14 per set. As a team, Temple hits .213 which ranks fourth in the conference.
LAST TIME OUT: Temple 3, Cincinnati 2 (19-25, 30-28, 25-16, 21-25, 15-11)
Temple punched its ticket to the AAC Tournament with a thrilling 3-2 win over visiting Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. The Owls hit .250 in the match recording a season-best 14 blocks. Four players finished in double figures in kills, led by a 19-kill performance from Miray Bolukbasi. Taylor Davenport had a career day, tallying collegiate-bests of 12 kills and nine blocks, while also adding five digs. Gem Grimshaw and senior Katerina Papazoglou each tallied 11 kills with Grimshaw adding 11 digs and seven blocks, a career-best. Falanika Danielson finished with 26 digs and three aces.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston enters Friday's match with a 13-5 overall record, including 9-1 in the American. Houston split their final weekend series, falling 3-1 against Wichita State on Friday, but winning 3-0 on Saturday. The Cougars earned the West Division's #1 seed, making their second-straight conference tournament appearance.
Abbie Jackson leads the Cougars with 4.33 kills per set, which ranks second in the conference, while Kortlyn Henderson adds 2.90 kills per frame. Pre-season All-AAC selection Rachel Tullos is sixth in hitting percentage (.317) and 10th in blocks (1.01/set). Setting duties are handled by
TEMPLE VS. HOUSTON
Temple is 9-3 all-time against Houston. Friday's semifinal will be the first meeting between the teams this season. In 2019, Houston won the only match-up, a 3-2 thriller in Philadelphia, breaking a string of six straight wins for Temple in the series.
IF THE OWLS ADVANCE
With a win over Houston, the Owls would advance to the Championship game. Temple would play either the West #2 Tulane or the East #1 UCF. Temple is 7-4 all-time against Tulane, but the teams did not play this season. The Owls are 7-12 all-time against UCF, and dropped a pair of 3-0 matches to the Knights this season.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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