Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Jake Hutchinson
Volleyball Racks Up American Athletic Conference Awards
4.5.21 | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team was well represented on the list of annual awards for the American Athletic Conference which were announced on Monday. The Owls garnered three All-Conference spots (Falanika Danielson, Gem Grimshaw, Miray Bolukbasi), two All-Tournament nods (Grimshaw, Tyler Lindgren), and took home two major awards, as Danielson was named AAC Libero of the Year and Bakeer Ganesharatnam is the Co-AAC Coach of the Year.
Major Awards
Falanika Danielson - Libero of the Year
> Danielson is the first Temple player to earn conference Libero of the Year honors since Chelsea Tupuola won the Atlantic 10 honor in 2012. She is also the first freshman in American Athletic Conference history to earn any of the major yearly awards. In her rookie season, she led AAC liberos in all major statistical categories, racking up 5.27 digs per set, while adding totals of 73 assists and 21 service aces. Danielson also ranks 27th in the nation in digs per set.
Bakeer Ganesharatnam - Co-Coach of the Year
> Ganesharatnam earned the first Coach of the Year honor in his career with Temple. The 10th year head coach guided Temple to an impressive run to close the regular season and advance all the way to the American Athletic Conference Championship game. In his career with the Owls he's compiled an overall record of 166-120.
All-Conference
Falanika Danielson - First Team
> Danielson is the first Temple freshman to earn an All-Conference honor since Dara Peric in 2014. She notched double-digit dig performances in 15 of 16 matches for the Owls this season, including nine matches with 20 or more digs. Danielson also racked up a career-high 32 digs in a win over Delaware.
Gem Grimshaw - First Team
> Grimshaw earns her first career All-Conference honor. The junior outside hitter filled the right side position for the Owls much of the season, recording 3.42 kills and 2.69 digs per set, adding 43 blocks and 20 aces. She had the best hitting percentage of Temple's pin hitters this season (.233) and recorded 10 double-doubles, improving her career number to 14. Grimshaw had double-digit kill performances in 13 of 17 matches this season, including a season-best 20 in the AAC Championship match.
Miray Bolukbasi - Second Team
> Bolukbasi also earns her first career All-Conference honor. Temple's team leader in kills, the outside hitter racked up 3.66 kills per set, while also adding 2.02 digs per set with 21 total blocks. She reached double-digits in kills in 12 of 17 matches this season, finishing with four double-doubles. Bolukbasi recorded a season high of 23 kills against UConn this season, which also set a new career high for the junior.
All-Tournament
Tyler Lindgren
> Lindgren earned All-Tournament honors for the first time in her career, after a brilliant performance during the AAC Championship weekend. She distributed Temple's offense in a pair of matches, piling up 96 assists, 25 digs, and five kills, going for two double-doubles. In an upset over top-seeded Houston from the West Division, she dished out 49 assists with 14 digs. In the championship match, Lindgren again notched a double-double, this time with 47 assists and 11 digs.
Gem Grimshaw
> Grimshaw also earned an All-Tournament selection for the first time, racking up up 37 kills and 20 digs and hitting .330 with six blocks. In an upset over top-seeded Houston from the West Division, she led Temple with 17 kills, hitting .345 and adding nine digs and five blocks. In the championship match, Grimshaw tallied 20 kills, adding 11 digs for a double-double.
Major Awards
Falanika Danielson - Libero of the Year
> Danielson is the first Temple player to earn conference Libero of the Year honors since Chelsea Tupuola won the Atlantic 10 honor in 2012. She is also the first freshman in American Athletic Conference history to earn any of the major yearly awards. In her rookie season, she led AAC liberos in all major statistical categories, racking up 5.27 digs per set, while adding totals of 73 assists and 21 service aces. Danielson also ranks 27th in the nation in digs per set.
Bakeer Ganesharatnam - Co-Coach of the Year
> Ganesharatnam earned the first Coach of the Year honor in his career with Temple. The 10th year head coach guided Temple to an impressive run to close the regular season and advance all the way to the American Athletic Conference Championship game. In his career with the Owls he's compiled an overall record of 166-120.
All-Conference
Falanika Danielson - First Team
> Danielson is the first Temple freshman to earn an All-Conference honor since Dara Peric in 2014. She notched double-digit dig performances in 15 of 16 matches for the Owls this season, including nine matches with 20 or more digs. Danielson also racked up a career-high 32 digs in a win over Delaware.
Gem Grimshaw - First Team
> Grimshaw earns her first career All-Conference honor. The junior outside hitter filled the right side position for the Owls much of the season, recording 3.42 kills and 2.69 digs per set, adding 43 blocks and 20 aces. She had the best hitting percentage of Temple's pin hitters this season (.233) and recorded 10 double-doubles, improving her career number to 14. Grimshaw had double-digit kill performances in 13 of 17 matches this season, including a season-best 20 in the AAC Championship match.
Miray Bolukbasi - Second Team
> Bolukbasi also earns her first career All-Conference honor. Temple's team leader in kills, the outside hitter racked up 3.66 kills per set, while also adding 2.02 digs per set with 21 total blocks. She reached double-digits in kills in 12 of 17 matches this season, finishing with four double-doubles. Bolukbasi recorded a season high of 23 kills against UConn this season, which also set a new career high for the junior.
All-Tournament
Tyler Lindgren
> Lindgren earned All-Tournament honors for the first time in her career, after a brilliant performance during the AAC Championship weekend. She distributed Temple's offense in a pair of matches, piling up 96 assists, 25 digs, and five kills, going for two double-doubles. In an upset over top-seeded Houston from the West Division, she dished out 49 assists with 14 digs. In the championship match, Lindgren again notched a double-double, this time with 47 assists and 11 digs.
Gem Grimshaw
> Grimshaw also earned an All-Tournament selection for the first time, racking up up 37 kills and 20 digs and hitting .330 with six blocks. In an upset over top-seeded Houston from the West Division, she led Temple with 17 kills, hitting .345 and adding nine digs and five blocks. In the championship match, Grimshaw tallied 20 kills, adding 11 digs for a double-double.
Players Mentioned
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