Temple University Athletics
Friday, September 3
McGonigle Hall
10:30 AM
Temple University
vs
Iona
Photo by: Elita Odartei
Another Home Tournament for Volleyball this Weekend
9.2.21 | Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team hosts its second-straight home tournament, this one the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge. Four teams - Temple, Iona, Maryland, and LIU will battle it out at McGonigle Hall in the two-day event which begins on Friday morning. 
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3
10:30 AM - Temple vs. Iona - Canceled
1:00 PM - LIU vs. Maryland
7:00 PM - Temple vs. Maryland
Saturday, September 4
10:30 AM - LIU vs. Iona
3:00 PM - Maryland vs. Iona
6:00 PM - Temple vs. LIU
OWL ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple finished the 2020-21 spring season as the American Athletic Conference runner-up, going 11-6 overall, including 4-4 in conference play. The Owls needed a late run to qualify for its first ever AAC Tournament, standing at 2-4 heading into the final weekend of action. Temple then swept defending champion Cincinnati to clinch the second spot out of the AAC East Division. In the tournament, Temple topped West champion Houston, 3-1, before falling 3-1 to UCF in the finals.
This season, Temple is off to a 1-2 start. The Owls topped Rider (3-2) to open the Temple Invitational, but fell to Delaware (3-1) and #21 Stanford (3-0) to close the tournament. All-Tournament picks for the Owls were Gem Grimshaw and Miray Bolukbasi who carried the bulk of Temple's offensive attack.
PRESEASON PICKS
The Owls were picked to finish sixth in the American, as voted on by the league's coaches. Returning first-team All-Conference selections Falanika Danielson and Gem Grimshaw were named to the preseason All-Conference team.
FAMILIAR FACES
Temple welcomes back all but one of its starters from last season. The final five games of Temple's 2020 season saw just seven players on the court for the Owls, with six of them back for the 2021 season. A notable absence is setter Tyler Lindgren, a 2020 All-Tournament selection, who graduated a year early.
Temple will get a boost from the return of 2019 All-Conference right side, Peyton Boyd. Boyd missed most of the 2020 season due to injury and is expected to return to the court in a few weeks.
SETTING SITUATION
Temple will have to replace a three-year starting setter in Lindgren, but has a pair of newcomers and one returner on the roster who can fill the role. In the first tournament of the season, freshman Patrycja Zielinska got the start in the 5-1 offensive system. Zielinska averaged 8.33 assists per set, leading Temple to a .251 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nikki Shimao saw action for a rotation in Temple's match against Delaware, while freshman Magdalena Rogalska provides depth at the position for the Owls.
DANIELSON DID NOT MISS A BEAT
After leading the American in digs last season en route to a Libero of the Year honor, Falanika Danielson picked up where she left off. During the opening weekend of the season, she averaged a conference-best 5.42 digs per set and was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll. Danielson notched match highs in digs in all three Temple clashes, recording 26 digs against Rider, 22 against Delaware, and 17 against #21 Stanford. For the weekend, she added a .990 reception average.
SCOUTING IONA
Iona enters the tournament with a 1-2 overall mark. The Gaels opened the season at the Army Invitational, topping Merrimack 3-0, but falling to Providence (3-1) and Army (3-0). The Gaels finished 3-7 overall last season, qualifying for the MAAC Tournament, but falling in the first round. Junior Fleur Wiersma was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team as a middle blocker.
TEMPLE VS. IONA
Temple and Iona have met just one time, a 3-0 Temple win in the Owls' home opening tournament in 2006.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland is off to a 3-0 start to the 2021 season after hosting the Maryland Invitational at home last weekend. The Terrapins dropped just one set during the weekend, cruising past Virginia (3-1), Central Connecticut State (3-0) and Hofstra (3-0). Last season, Maryland finished 5-15 in the shortened spring season, playing all 20 matches against Big Ten opponents. The Terps led the Big Ten with 3.15 blocks per set, with all middles returning for the 2021 season.
TEMPLE VS. MARYLAND
Temple is 2-9 all-time against Maryland, with the series dating back to the 1983 season. The Owls have lost four-straight against the Terps, with the last meeting a 3-0 Maryland sweep in the 2018 Villanova tournament.
LAST TIME THEY MET: 9/14/18 - MARYLAND 3, TEMPLE 0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-17)
Each team has players who played in that 2018 match. For the Owls, Gem Grimshaw and Miray Bolukbasi, then freshmen, led Temple's limited offense against the Terps, as Grimshaw tied for the team high with seven kills, and Bolukbasi added six. Then a sophomore, Katerina Papazoglou had four digs, while freshman Peyton Boyd added three kills. For Maryland, then freshman Rainelle Jones recorded seven kills with only one error, adding three blocks in the win.
SCOUTING LIU
LIU is winless at 0-3 to start the season, after competing on the road at the BYU Invitational. In Utah, the Sharks opened with back-to-back 3-0 losses, falling to UNLV and #15 BYU. Their final match of the tournament saw LIU drop a narrow 3-2 match to Southern Utah. The Sharks are coming off a 2020 season that saw them finish 8-6 overall, nabbing the NEC's NCAA bid. The Sharks return all but one letterwinner from last season's team, led by senior Anastasia Scott, the returning NEC Defensive Player of the Year. LIU also returns all of their All-NEC honorees in Karolina Nova, Jovana Stekovic and Miranda Strongmann.
TEMPLE VS. LIU
Temple is 3-4 all-time against LIU, with the first meeting coming in 2005 and the most recent in 2014. The Owls have lost two straight in the all-time series, with the last meeting going 3-2 in LIU's favor on their home court.
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SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3
1:00 PM - LIU vs. Maryland
7:00 PM - Temple vs. Maryland
Saturday, September 4
10:30 AM - LIU vs. Iona
3:00 PM - Maryland vs. Iona
6:00 PM - Temple vs. LIU
OWL ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple finished the 2020-21 spring season as the American Athletic Conference runner-up, going 11-6 overall, including 4-4 in conference play. The Owls needed a late run to qualify for its first ever AAC Tournament, standing at 2-4 heading into the final weekend of action. Temple then swept defending champion Cincinnati to clinch the second spot out of the AAC East Division. In the tournament, Temple topped West champion Houston, 3-1, before falling 3-1 to UCF in the finals.
This season, Temple is off to a 1-2 start. The Owls topped Rider (3-2) to open the Temple Invitational, but fell to Delaware (3-1) and #21 Stanford (3-0) to close the tournament. All-Tournament picks for the Owls were Gem Grimshaw and Miray Bolukbasi who carried the bulk of Temple's offensive attack.
PRESEASON PICKS
The Owls were picked to finish sixth in the American, as voted on by the league's coaches. Returning first-team All-Conference selections Falanika Danielson and Gem Grimshaw were named to the preseason All-Conference team.
FAMILIAR FACES
Temple welcomes back all but one of its starters from last season. The final five games of Temple's 2020 season saw just seven players on the court for the Owls, with six of them back for the 2021 season. A notable absence is setter Tyler Lindgren, a 2020 All-Tournament selection, who graduated a year early.
Temple will get a boost from the return of 2019 All-Conference right side, Peyton Boyd. Boyd missed most of the 2020 season due to injury and is expected to return to the court in a few weeks.
SETTING SITUATION
Temple will have to replace a three-year starting setter in Lindgren, but has a pair of newcomers and one returner on the roster who can fill the role. In the first tournament of the season, freshman Patrycja Zielinska got the start in the 5-1 offensive system. Zielinska averaged 8.33 assists per set, leading Temple to a .251 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nikki Shimao saw action for a rotation in Temple's match against Delaware, while freshman Magdalena Rogalska provides depth at the position for the Owls.
DANIELSON DID NOT MISS A BEAT
After leading the American in digs last season en route to a Libero of the Year honor, Falanika Danielson picked up where she left off. During the opening weekend of the season, she averaged a conference-best 5.42 digs per set and was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll. Danielson notched match highs in digs in all three Temple clashes, recording 26 digs against Rider, 22 against Delaware, and 17 against #21 Stanford. For the weekend, she added a .990 reception average.
SCOUTING IONA
Iona enters the tournament with a 1-2 overall mark. The Gaels opened the season at the Army Invitational, topping Merrimack 3-0, but falling to Providence (3-1) and Army (3-0). The Gaels finished 3-7 overall last season, qualifying for the MAAC Tournament, but falling in the first round. Junior Fleur Wiersma was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team as a middle blocker.
TEMPLE VS. IONA
Temple and Iona have met just one time, a 3-0 Temple win in the Owls' home opening tournament in 2006.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland is off to a 3-0 start to the 2021 season after hosting the Maryland Invitational at home last weekend. The Terrapins dropped just one set during the weekend, cruising past Virginia (3-1), Central Connecticut State (3-0) and Hofstra (3-0). Last season, Maryland finished 5-15 in the shortened spring season, playing all 20 matches against Big Ten opponents. The Terps led the Big Ten with 3.15 blocks per set, with all middles returning for the 2021 season.
TEMPLE VS. MARYLAND
Temple is 2-9 all-time against Maryland, with the series dating back to the 1983 season. The Owls have lost four-straight against the Terps, with the last meeting a 3-0 Maryland sweep in the 2018 Villanova tournament.
LAST TIME THEY MET: 9/14/18 - MARYLAND 3, TEMPLE 0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-17)
Each team has players who played in that 2018 match. For the Owls, Gem Grimshaw and Miray Bolukbasi, then freshmen, led Temple's limited offense against the Terps, as Grimshaw tied for the team high with seven kills, and Bolukbasi added six. Then a sophomore, Katerina Papazoglou had four digs, while freshman Peyton Boyd added three kills. For Maryland, then freshman Rainelle Jones recorded seven kills with only one error, adding three blocks in the win.
SCOUTING LIU
LIU is winless at 0-3 to start the season, after competing on the road at the BYU Invitational. In Utah, the Sharks opened with back-to-back 3-0 losses, falling to UNLV and #15 BYU. Their final match of the tournament saw LIU drop a narrow 3-2 match to Southern Utah. The Sharks are coming off a 2020 season that saw them finish 8-6 overall, nabbing the NEC's NCAA bid. The Sharks return all but one letterwinner from last season's team, led by senior Anastasia Scott, the returning NEC Defensive Player of the Year. LIU also returns all of their All-NEC honorees in Karolina Nova, Jovana Stekovic and Miranda Strongmann.
TEMPLE VS. LIU
Temple is 3-4 all-time against LIU, with the first meeting coming in 2005 and the most recent in 2014. The Owls have lost two straight in the all-time series, with the last meeting going 3-2 in LIU's favor on their home court.
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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
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
DS/S
/ Women's Volleyball
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