TTN: Volleyball upsets Xavier at home

http://temple-news.com/?s=Volleyball+upsets+Xavier+at+home

(September 29, 2012)
The Owls defeated the Musketeers, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 14-25, 15-11, in five sets.

Throughout the season the Owls have preached they must start strong and end strong in every match.

Temple proved it Friday night when they hosted Atlantic 10 Conference rival Xavier.

Under second-year coach Bakeer Ganes, the Owls made their biggest statement of the season, upsetting the favored Musketeers in five tough sets. A back-and-forth match that saw 12 lead changes ended, somewhat anticlimactically, on a serving error by Xavier.

“I can’t even explain it,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said. “It happened and I felt so full of different emotions.”

“It’s definitely a big upset,” Ganes said. “It’s a Top 2 team in the conference. I’m really proud of the way the girls on my team competed today.”

Matautia made the biggest statement of all, on a night that was largely meant for her, Hawaiian Night. The Hawaiian native had consistent success from the weak side with powerful swings, finishing with 18 kills, 12 digs and two aces. She had extra motivation playing in front of her dad for the first time in her collegiate career.

“Having my family here and having Hawaiian Night definitely gave me a little boost,” Matautia said.

Temple opened the match with a hard-fought 25-22 first-set victory, only managing to pull away after a 22-22 tie thanks to two costly Musketeers errors and a kill by junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert. Burkert finished the night with 16 kills and 14 digs, one of three Owls with a double-double.

The second set was equally as intense, with an engaged crowd of 317 spurring on the home team. The set featured five lead changes as neither squad was able to pull away until the end when Xavier got several clutch kills to win 25-20.

Things took a turn in favor of the Owls in the third set, however, as they jumped out to their largest lead of the night at 15-7 thanks to a .355 hitting percentage. Xavier made a few small runs but never got close as sophomore middle hitter Jennifer Iacobini recorded two of her match-high four aces and Temple walked away with a convincing 25-17 victory.

“The serving was a huge part of our game plan, and [Iacobini] did a really good job,” Ganes said.

But just as quickly as Temple took control, Xavier fought right back, jumping out to a 4-0 lead to open the fourth set and never looking back. The Owls dropped the set 25-14 and looked lost heading into the final set.

“The fourth set, we were just not in it,” Matautia said.

The final set appeared to be getting away from the Owls at the start, as they quickly fell behind 5-2. But Iacobini served, trailing 5-3, and forced Xavier to make mistakes off bad passes, allowing the home team to make a 5-0 run.

Burkert, who was silent much of the match, caught fire. She relied primarily on finesse shots in the early sets but mixed up power with roll shots to notch seven kills in the final set to keep the pressure on Xavier.

“Sometimes if I get blocked I don’t want to get blocked so I try to think of other ways to do [get the kill],” Burkert said. “The funny thing is it wasn’t very successful when I was doing it until the end when I started hitting and then I was successful.”

Temple pushed their lead to 14-10 thanks to Burkert and several untimely Xavier miscues, which uncharacteristically had 47 unforced errors on the night. And with the Owls up 14-11 it all came down to one final, anticlimactic mistake, a service error by Xavier junior outside hitter Sarah Brown.

“I’m not sure if they really beat themselves, because you’ve got to put a team in position so they can make unforced errors,” Ganes said. “A team like that, we can’t compete with them if they’re in system just because they’re so powerful.”

The Owls were undersized at every position, and lost in nearly every major offensive and defensive category except unforced errors.

“So the stats only tell you one side of the story, it doesn’t tell you how the team competed,” Ganes said. “I think today you truly saw a team competing together.”

The match was the Owls third A-10 game of the season. Both Temple and Xavier entered the night 2-0, with the win keeping the Owls atop the conference standings heading into an even tougher match against No. 20 Dayton on Saturday.

“This game is huge, we’re so happy,” Burkert said. “It gives us confidence just in ourselves. It has us really kind of rolling right now.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter at jakeadams520.

TTN The Cherry: Volleyball hosts No. 20 Dayton

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/29/volleyball-hosts-no-20-dayton/

(September 29, 2012)

Following a five-set upset of Atlantic 10 Conference power Xavier, the Owls retake their home court against No. 20 Dayton Saturday.

Temple is riding a seven game rinning streak, all at home. They sit atop the conference at 3-0 tied with the Flyers in a match that pits an A-10 championship favorite against a surging underdog.

"We know what we need to do to compete with them," coach Bakeer Ganes said last weekend. "Now we're going to work on that in practice and see if we can execute that on the court, when game time comes."

While undersized against the Musketeers on Friday, Temple will be even more behind in the height department against Dayton, who features 6-foot, 4-inch senior outside hitter Rachel Krabacher. Their game plan remains the same facing a much taller team, however.

"When it comes to the big teams we just have to cover our hitters," junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said after the Xavier game. "Offensively we got to play smart. Use the block to tool it or hit around the block where you've got open court."

-Jake Adams

TTN The Cherry: Volleyball hosts conference foe Xavier

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/28/volleyball-hosts-conference-foe-xavier/

(September 28, 2012)

The Owls get their first serious test of the Atlantic 10 Conference season Friday when they host Xavier in McGonigle Hall.

Temple is riding a 6-0 streak at home, but the Musketeers are 2-0 in conference play and 9-7 overall, including tough losses to teams receiving votes in the polls.

The match could be a showcase of defense has the top liberos in the conference square off. Xavier senior Stephanie Vorherr is second in digs per set with 4.85 trailing only Temple's senior Chelsea Tupuola who has 5.37 per set.

The team is ready for the challenge, where the Owls enter as an easy underdog, according to coach Bakeer Ganes.

"That's very exciting and if you're a competitor you want to see where you stand against these guys," said Ganes about facing one of the conference's top programs.

The match is set to start at 7 p.m.

-Jake Adams

TTN: Defense sparks offense

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/25/defense-sparks-offense/

(September 25, 2012)
Chelsea Tupuola establishes the team’s offense at libero.

Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola mans the volleyball team’s backcourt, working toward the adage that the best offense is a good defense.

“On the court, when we go up to hit, I can hear [Tupuola]. She yells out where I can hit, what’s open,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said. “A lot of the times I just listen to her and I get the point. She’s also really good at communicating on the court. She takes charge of the passing and the defense.”

“The big asset [Tupuola] has is a high volleyball IQ,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “She’s not the most athletic kid, she’s not the fittest kid, but she’s always in the right spot.”

Tupuola began developing her volleyball IQ growing up in California, where she learned to love the sport at one of her sister’s college camps at Humboldt State University. She was the youngest of five, all of who played multiple sports, except her.

After spending time as an outside hitter, where she was undersized, her club coach decided she would be best served becoming a defensive specialist. While Tupuola didn’t agree right away, she learned to use her raw passing talents.

“It took me a long time to accept it,” Tupuola said. “I actually did learn to love it. I love it because you piss off a lot of hitters and it’s so much fun. You can ask [Matautia], we’re always on the same side because she does not want to hit against me because she knows I will piss her off.”

After a few years of learning her new position, Tupuola received interest from the University of Arizona, Tennessee University and Temple.

Upon her arrival in Philadelphia four years ago, she was surprised by the fast-paced nature of the city and grew to love the cold weather, including the snow storm that shut down the university, Tupuola said.

“That was so awesome, never had a snow day,” Tupuola said. “East Coast is definitely more fast-paced than West Coast, or California in general.”

A year later, Tupuola was introduced to Matautia, who shares her Samoan background. Tupuola spent days at a time in Matautia’s dorm room during her sophomore year, watching movies and studying, she said.

“I was always in her room, and for some reason I could only study in her room,” Tupuola said. “During finals week I lived in her room. And it grew from there.”

Now the two said they are inseparable.

“Our culture is very giving,” Tupuola said. “Probably people think we’re intimidating a lot, but once we get close to somebody it’s a done-deal, you’re family.”

“[She’s] my [partner in crime],” Matautia said.

Tupuola plays what Ganes said is the least respected position in volleyball. This year, Tupuola has garnered two tournament MVP awards, All-Tournament Team recognition and Best Libero.

“Going out with a bang,” Matautia said of her friend’s final season. “[People] don’t realize you can’t hit the ball if you can’t save the ball in the first place. She’s digging these really good hitters.”

Tupuola’s mom was present for two of those awards at the Temple Invitational.

“Having my mom here, seeing that I got [Tournament MVP and Best Libero] here, which I honestly didn’t expect at all,” Tupuola said. “I was so happy that she got to see that.”

Tupuola tallied 7.7 digs per set in the team’s home tournament, one week after recording 6 digs per set in the Miami (OH) Invitational.

She leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in digs per set for the season, with 5.37.

Her success has helped the Owls get off to a fast start, winning the Temple Invitational and starting the season 12-4, including 2-0 in the A-10. The wins have made the post-game routine a little more entertaining, at least for Tupuola’s teammates, Matautia said.

“That girl loves to get down,” Matautia said. “We will make her dance whenever we want. She’s got this secret dance move that she refuses to show anyone else. That’s why after the game we always play ‘Wobble’ and we’re like, ‘Get up, Chelsea!’”

The Owls hope to continue the early season excitement, dancing included. But for Tupuola, her final games will be some of the hardest she’s ever played, especially when her family visits for the team’s senior day, she said.

“I definitely do not see myself after [this season playing volleyball], but I will be a part of volleyball,” she said. “It’s going to be definitely hard [playing in front of them], because they were a big part of me playing when I was at home.”

But for now it’s all about stopping the next opponent, Xavier, on Friday, Sept. 28.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.

TTN The Cherry: Volleyball hosts Fordham in A-10 play

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/22/volleyball-hosts-fordham-in-a-10-play/

(September 22, 2012)

The volleyball team will be looking to keep a 12-set winning streak alive against visiting Fordham tonight, after coming off a straight-set sweep of Atlantic-10 Conference rival Rhode Island.

Temple opened up conference play Friday with a 3-0 victory against the Rams, despite a slow start that saw them fall behind 7-1 before rallying back. The team hopes they can get off to a quicker start against Fordham.

"Do not start off the way we started [against Rhode Island]," senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. "Really focus in on that first game. Momentum does carry out throughout the rest of the games and sets, but we need to start off really strong, right then and there."

Last year the Owls lost both meetings against the Rams, each by scores of 3-1. This time they just want to get out of the gates quickly.

"I think we're going to come up with a new cheer, something, anything to get us pumped up," junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said.

-Jake Adams

TTN: Volleyball earns first A-10 win

http://temple-news.com/?s=Volleyball+earns+first+A-10+win

(September 22, 2012)
The Owls defeated Rhode Island 25-23, 25-21 and 25-18.

When sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Iacobini went up for a kill with the first-set score 24-23 in favor of Temple, the crowd heard two successive thuds- that of her hand connecting with the ball and the ball connecting with the court.

And that was all the crowd, and the Owls, needed to hear to take control of the match against Rhode Island, their first Atlantic 10 Conference challenge of the season.

“I know her head was in the right place,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said of Iacobini’s set point heroics.

Temple came out flat against the Rams, falling behind 7-1 in the opening set due to a defense that had trouble digging and returning serves.

“Their first serves were really good serves,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said.

“We didn’t track really well, a little slow to start,” Tupuola said. “Had to pick ourselves up again.”

Despite the deficit, the Owls rallied to within a point on multiple occasions in the first set before drawing their first tie, 23-23. And one point later Iacobini sealed the comeback with a strong swing on a slide to the middle. They would close out the match in straight sets, winning 25-21 and 25-18 in the last two, starting out the conference season 1-0.

“The position as a middle blocker you don’t get a lot of opportunities, because your primary function is to get block,” Ganes said.” It’s a very unthankful position. But when you do get sets you have to put the ball down.”

Iacobini contributed in both facets of the game, recording three blocking assets and knocking down eight kills of her 14 attempts. She didn’t post an error, hitting .571 on the night.

Once Iacobini closed out the first set the rest of the Owls took over. Burkert and fellow junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia combined for 30 kills on 73 attempts. Burkert tacked on 10 digs for yet another double-double on the season.

The final two sets were all about the defense, however. After struggling to contain the Rams’ offense Tupuola and company regrouped.

“We definitely passed better and I think [sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser] opened up the offense a lot more,” Tupuola said. “She was running the middle a lot more.”

Despite the strong closing to the match, the Owls said they must improve their energy at the start of the match.

“I definitely know we all focused on this week,” Tupuola said. “No excuse for that start, at all.”

Multiple times in the past few weeks the Owls have dug themselves a whole early and scrambled to salvage the match. Each time, including a 3-1 win over Central Connecticut where they lost the first set, they came out on top. But coach Bakeer Ganes said he knows it will come back to bite them.

“I think it’s really how we approach the match,” he said. “We really have to make sure we approach the match in a different way, more professional.”

Temple will get a chance to start faster on Saturday when they host Fordham in their second A-10 match of the season. Start time is set for 7 p.m. in McGonigle Hall.

TTN: Despite fatigue, volleyball team wins second match of tournament

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/15/despite-fatigue-volleyball-team-wins-second-match-of-tournament/

(September 15, 2012)
Thanks to a balanced attack and solid defense the Owls find themselves just one win away from securing a Temple Invitational title.
Less than two hours after taking down Central Connecticut 3-1, Temple returned to the court to host Navy...

Thanks to a balanced attack and solid defense the Owls find themselves just one win away from securing a Temple Invitational title.

Less than two hours after taking down Central Connecticut 3-1, Temple returned to the court to host Navy. The short turnaround left the team struggling to stay fresh, and coach Bakeer Ganes had to dig deep into his bench to hold onto a straight-set sweep.

“We definitely wanted to spread it out a little bit just because we played a match earlier,” Ganes said. “So we didn’t want one person to get 50 sets.”

Eight Owls recorded at least one kill, with junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia leading the charge with a match-high 14. Other than Matautia, only Navy junior outside hitter Erin Fortner reached double-digit kills.

Matautia hasn’t led the Owls in kills for several matches, but she doesn’t want to focus too much on the stats.

“I wouldn’t really say it boosts my confidence,” she said. “It kind of just makes me think about what I’m doing. I need to continue to play smart, I can’t just go swinging.”

Typically the team’s leading scorer, junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert only knocked down nine kills, as Ganes tried to limit her sets to keep her fresh.

The team attacked Navy’s serve-receive early and often in the match. Ganes felt that it was something they could take advantage of to set the tone.

“Their serve-receive is not the strongest, so we really went after the serve-receive with our serve to put them out of system right away,” he said.

Temple was able to jump out to a 25-21 first-set win thanks to a .350 hitting percentage. Navy hit .333 as well, but timely Temple kills and some miscues on defense ultimately cost Fortner and company.

The second and third sets were more about defense for the Owls, however. The team held the Midshipmen to .000 in the second set and .179 in the third as they won 25-20 and 25-23, respectively.

“Like I always say, our defense is our key so we cannot get tired, we can’t say that we’re tired or people will take advantage really quick,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said.

Tupuola led yet another match with 23 digs on the night. However, Ganes was quick to note that despite the stat sheet, the defense became sluggish when fatigue set in.

“We didn’t play really good defense in the third set because we didn’t move our feet, so that put us in a bad situation to set up our offense,” he said. “And plus kind of fatigue played a roll too.”

Nonetheless the Owls were able to escape with their third consecutive victory at home, improving to 9-4 on the season. They currently sit at 2-0 in the tournament, with one more win needed to secure the tournament title.

For Ganes, the victory was a bit more special, having come at the hands of Navy coach Larry Bock, who is the current NCAA record holder for wins with 1,361 entering the tournament.

“Coach Larry Boch, he’s unbelievable,” Ganes said. “He’s not just a great coach, he’s a great person. He’s always very polite. He always has open ears. He’s definitely somebody I look up to as a coach.”

Temple will host Cornell on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the final match of the tournament. Due to a scheduling issue it will only be Cornell’s second match of the weekend.

TTN: Volleyball opens home tournament with win

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/15/volleyball-opens-home-tournament-with-win/

(September 15, 2012)
After losing every phase of the game to open their match against Central Connecticut State University, the Owls rallied to win the next three sets and start off the Temple Invitational with a win.…

After losing every phase of the game to open their match against Central Connecticut State University, the Owls rallied to win the next three sets and start off the Temple Invitational with a win.

The team showed two very different faces from the first set to the next three. Temple hit -.135 in the opening set with 12 errors against just seven kills, falling to the Blue Devils 25-13.

“I think everything started with our serve-receive,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “Our serve-receive really wasn’t that good.”

“We were totally out of sync,” he added. “Our rhythm was off, our communication was off, the movement on the court was just not good, it was not fluid.”

But led by a surprise performance by senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang, who recorded match-leading 18 kills on .405 hitting, the Owls clawed back to claim the second set 25-21. The set featured six lead changes and 12 ties, as the home team wasn’t able to pull away until the final points.

Temple followed much the same formula in the next two sets, with Zhang leading the way and junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert playing a seldom-seen second fiddle on offense. The Owls took the third set 25-19, pulling away once again at the end in a set that they never trailed.

“Zhang was the reason we won that third set, there’s no way around that,” Ganes said. “She was the MVP of this match. She does that in practice every time. This was the first time she did it offensively at this level, with this confidence, so far.”

Once Ganes realized who the hot hand was he and the team made sure to find her on sets as much as possible. Her impact was doubly important as he felt Burkert wasn’t at her best in the match.

“We usually do that, if somebody’s hot you’ve got to give that person the ball until basically their arm falls off,” he said.

The final set saw the Owls battling with the Blue Devils early on, before the visitors pulled ahead 18-13. A Temple time out seemingly allowed the team to regroup, however, as they stormed back on a 12-1 run, closing out the fourth and deciding set 25-19. They improved to 8-4 on the year, continuing their best start to a season since 2002.

Burkert recorded another double-double on the night, knocking down 17 kills to go along with 11 digs. Fellow junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia tallied 11 kills and 10 digs of her own, and sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser quarterbacked the team with 48 assists and 12 digs.

The match finished shortly before 6 p.m., allowing the Owls hardly more than an hour to rest before warming up for their next match of the tournament against Navy at 7:30 p.m.

Navy enters the tournament at 3-7, and the Owls will be looking to capture their ninth win on the year and improve to 2-0 in the tournament.

TTN The Cherry: Volleyball begins A-10 play at home

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/21/volleyball-begins-a-10-play-at-home/

(September 21, 2012)

Offense will be the key for the Owls as they head into their Atlantic 10 Conference season opener against Rhode Island on Friday.

Temple goes up against a URI squad that lacks a big play threat (no hitter ranks in the Top 10 in the conference) and is one of the worst defenders in the A-10. The team has allowed a .228 hitting percentage (10th in the conference) while only hitting .159 (ninth in the conference).

But coach Bakeer Ganes expects a battle in their first conference match of the year at McGonigle Hall.

"I know [coach Bob Schneck's] team is going to be very well coached, very well organized, and it's going to be a battle," Ganes said.

The Owls will be looking to improve to 11-4 on the year. The match begins at 7 p.m.

-Jake Adams

TTN: Owls win home tournament

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/18/owls-win-home-tournament/

(September 18, 2012)
The volleyball team is off to its best start since 2002.

Coach Bakeer Ganes stresses to his team that conference play is what matters most. Atlantic 10 Conference play begins this weekend with two home games. ( TIMOTHY VALSHTEIN / TTN )

Heading into last weekend’s Temple Invitational, second-year coach Bakeer Ganes felt like he was going to find out just what kind of team he had by the time the tournament was finished.

As the weekend concluded, he found out he had tournament champions.

The Owls completed a 3–1 victory against Central Connecticut State University, a 3–0 defeat of Navy and a 3–0 win against Cornell on their way to winning the tournament and improving to 10–4 on the year.

“I’m really proud of this team because they really, really went out and tried to execute what we ask them to do,” Ganes said.

During his tenure at Temple, Ganes has preached that rebuilding the program to an elite level would take several years. But if the Owls proved anything Saturday night as they closed out their home tournament, it’s that maybe they’re too impatient to wait that long.

“Just seeing how we’ve progressed each game, each single tournament, and [Ganes] said we’ve gotten better every single game, it’s just a huge accomplishment for all of us,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said.

Fellow senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang said that the seniors are happy things are moving along faster than expected.

“[Tupuola] and I feel like we have to do our best to go to [the Atlantic 10 Conference playoffs], leave something for [the team],” Zhang said.

Ganes said that he feels the team is ahead of schedule.

“I think just to look at it, when you take a step back at the progress we made, I think we’re definitely ahead of time,” Ganes said. “If I would be honest, I’m a little bit surprised that we are already here.”

With one year of training a young team and teaching his second recruiting class, Ganes said he has most, if not all, of the pieces he desires for the kind of team he wants.

“I think a coach once told me you can’t expect to build a Mercedes if you have the parts for a Kia, and that’s how you look at it building a team,” Ganes said. “Plus the kids we’ve had for over a year now, they’ve really gotten better at what they’re doing.”

His parts include sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser and junior outside hitters Elyse Burkert and Gabriella Matautia. Burkert tallied 36 kills during the weekend and Matautia took over against Cornell, placing 20 kills in the final match.

But the standout has been Tupuola, with her 4.86 digs per set placing near the top of the conference. Ganes has said all season that she is the team’s unsung hero.

Recently, Tupuola has been finding it tough to fly under the radar. She was named Big 5 Tournament MVP and made the Miami (OH) Invitational All-Tournament Second Team in consecutive weeks. If that wasn’t enough she followed that up with “Best Libero” award and Tournament MVP at home.

“I’m blessed to have these awards, honestly,” Tupuola said. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to get MVP [this weekend]. I know my job is being done if we win, and it’s very, very humbling getting these awards.”

With the Temple Invitational complete, their second tournament victory in three weeks, the Owls have proven that their chemistry is much stronger. But Ganes said the team has to prove again what they’re capable of in a tough conference, beginning with Rhode Island and Fordham this weekend.

“Not to put any pressure on myself or the program, but I think what matters is the conference,” Ganes said. “So we really have to go out and prove ourselves over again.”

If the Owls of late show up in the A-10 season, Tupuola said she’s confident with her team moving forward.

“We’re all very trusting right now, and going into the A-10 season it’s going to be a huge deal knowing that I have everybody’s back, everybody has my back,” Tupuola said.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @JakeAdams520.

TTN: Owls capture Temple Invitational title

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/16/owls-capture-temple-invitational-title/

(September 16, 2012)
Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola was named “Best Libero” and “Tournament MVP.”

No member of the current squad was around the last time the Owls won their home tournament. Second year coach Bakeer Ganes doesn’t know the last time the program took home the Temple Invitational title.

So it was a bit of a welcomed surprise for Ganes and company when the final point went in their favor in a 3-0 sweep of Cornell in the final match of the tournament, securing that elusive crown.

“Going into this game we knew winning this tournament was a huge goal for us,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. “It was a really good feeling, all of us are really excited, so that last point completed everything this weekend.”

Temple won in set victories of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-17. In two of those sets they never trailed, allowing the Big Red to tie those sets just three times combined. In a match that everyone expected to be much closer since Cornell defeated Central Connecticut State University 3-1 earlier Saturday, the Owls pulled out all the stops.

While the stat sheet showed an over-powering offense led the way, it was the defense that was actually the key. Tupuola had 13 digs in the match, but the team combined for 53 against Cornell’s 40 and won the blocking battle 11-5.

“Our blocking, they did their job today,” Tupuola said. “I was very proud of them. It always starts out with the block.”

But it was the serve-receive that especially set the stage for the offense.

“I think in order to control [Cornell], we played really, really well,” Ganes said. “Our serve-receive was the best we had all season long. They passed nails, it was just a beauty I think.”

Thanks to the suffocating defense, which held star junior outside hitter Kelly Marble to just 10 kills on 43 attempts and seven errors, the Owls offense exploded.

Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert had a steady 10 kills on .226 shooting. Senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang, barely 24-hours removed from a 19-kill performance over the Blue Devils, tacked on 11 on 21 attempts on her way to “Best Spiker” in the tournament. The first year starter proved she is a viable third option on the offense over the weekend.

“I probably felt like I had to do something to show [the team and fans], so I played really good,” she said.

“They covered all my balls so I have a good setting to hit the ball down,” Zhang added about the defense provided by Burkert and Tupuola.

But junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia was just too much for the Big Red. The Hawaiian native crushed eight kills in each of the first two sets, finishing with 20 on the night for a .529 hitting percentage, and recording 12 digs along with three aces.

“I thought this weekend she really came out and performed very well,” Ganes said. “The key for her is just to get the timing right, and she was just in the floor today against Cornell.”

The team combined to hit .347 on the night while holding Cornell to .153 in front of another respectable crowd of 217.

Temple won nine of their 10 sets on the weekend, dropping only the first set against Central Connecticut on Friday. Zhang wasn’t the only player to walk away with a medal, however. Tupuola’s 70 digs in the tournament earned her “Best Libero” as well as “Tournament MVP.”

The Owls wrapped up their non-conference schedule with the tournament, moving to 10-4 on the season as the await the arrival of Rhode Island and Fordham next weekend to kick off the Atlantic 10 Conference season.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN The Cherry: McCarthy signs with Italian team

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/15/mccarthy-signs-with-italian-team/

(September 15, 2012)

Former Owl Kristen McCarthy will be playing professional ball overseas.

The 2012 graduate signed with Club Atletico Faenza, in Italy, a team that finished sixth in their league last season.

McCarthy joins fellow 2012 graduate Shey Peddy, and 2011 graduate Qwedia Wallace as recent Owls to make the transition to the pro level. Peddy was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Sky of the WNBA in April while Wallace is also overseas.

The combo guard/forward ranks fourth all-time at Temple with 1,619 points in 131 games (most all time), and holds the single-game record with 42 points against Charlotte as a sophomore.

She was an integral of the team's three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Tonya Cardoza and company return to action in November in their final season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

-Jake Adams

TTN The Cherry: Tournament crown within volleyball team's reach

http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/09/15/tournament-crown-within-volleyball-teams-reach/

(September 15, 2012)

The Owls will take the court in McGonigle one last time this weekend when the host Cornell in the finale of the Temple Invitational this evening.

Temple, who defeated Central Connecticut State University 3-1 and swept Navy 3-0 on Friday, needs one more win to claim the tournament crown. But they will have a tough match against a Cornell squad that dominated the Blue Devils in the final set of a 3-1 win earlier today.

The Big Red hit .305 as a team, led by junior outside hitter Kelly Marble's 16 kills, 14 digs and five aces.

The Owls were helped out Friday by 18 kills courtesy of senior outside hitter Jingyu Zhang against Central Connecticut, and then 14 kills from junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia against the Midshipmen.

Temple will be looking for their tenth win of the season. The match starts at 5 p.m.

-Jake Adams