http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/28/volleyball-fights-for-playoff-spot-against-charlotte/
(October 28, 2012)
Less than 24 hours after dropping their fourth
match in five contests the Owls get set to take on Atlantic 10 Conference
opponent Charlotte (9-12, 1-8 in A-10).
Temple (15-9, 5-5 in A-10) dropped their match against VCU
Friday night, noticeably lost throughout the match and unable to generate any
momentum. Charlotte is coming off a four-set victory over La Salle.
"I think Charlotte is much better than they're record
shows," coach Bakeer Ganes said Thursday. "They lost some tight
matches. I don't think we can take them lightly."
The Owls are trying to remain a game ahead of Fordham for
the sixth and final conference playoff spot, with a head-to-head tiebreaker
against the Rams, and just four games remaining in the regular season.
The match is set to start at 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
Oct 29, 2012
TTN: Owls lose in straight sets
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/10/27/owls-lose-in-straight-sets/
(October 27, 2012)
Temple has dropped four of last five matches.
Despite returning home to an energetic crowd for the first time in four weeks the Owls dropped their fourth match in their last five, falling in straight sets to Atlantic 10 Conference newcomer VCU (22-3, 8-2 in A-10).
Temple now sits at 5-5 in the conference, struggling to hold onto the sixth and final conference playoff spot.
“I think we just need to regroup,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said. “We need to seriously sit down and assess ourselves individually and figure out what’s going on.”
“Our team works best when we’re all together and as soon as one person’s out, we’re struggling,” Matautia added. “If two people aren’t having a good game we’re really in trouble, and it’s just like a snowball effect.”
VCU jumped out right away in the first set and never looked back, as Temple was only able to tie the score once in the open points. The rams hit .571 in the set without recording an error as they ran away 25-15.
Temple didn’t fare much better in the second set as the Rams’ height was too much for them, en route to a 25-16 loss. VCU hit .320 with just four errors while the Owls struggled to get anything going, recording just nine kills on .094 hitting.
“It should have been actually really exciting for us,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. “We made it look harder than it was.”
“People probably thought we were back on our heels and were just so surprised when we really weren’t,” she added.
The final set proved to be closer, with seven ties and three lead changes but the Owls fizzled at the end, falling 25-19 in front of an unusually silent crowd.
“They had a very good game plan and they really did a good job executing it,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “But they’re actually not very skilled technique-wise, as a team they play very well together.”
The team was noticeably frustrated afterwards, particularly in their inability to generate energy within themselves.
“As soon as we start to play bad we get mad at ourselves and then we kind of put more unneeded pressure because we’re frustrated with ourselves that we just want to do as good as we know we can be,” Matautia said.
Ganes added that the team seemed timid, something Tupuola and Matautia agreed with. It didn’t help the Owls either that sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini sprained her ankle in practice this week and had to sit out. She’ll also miss the match against Charlotte on Saturday.
Temple lost in every major category, with the biggest difference being hitting percentage and blocks. VCU had 12 stuffs on the night compared to one for the Owls. The home team also had an uncharacteristically high seven service errors.
“We should have been more aggressive on the serve,” Ganes said. “That’s something we can control and it doesn’t matter how small, how big you are. That’s an easy way to attack the opponent.”
Matuatia led the match with 12 kills, hitting .233 on the night while fellow junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert tacked on 11 of her own. But that was as good as it got for Temple.
“It was a big goal for us to use the block instead of just swing,” Tupuola said.
Former Owl, redshirt senior middle back Jasmine Waters, was efficient against her former squad, hitting at a .583 clip with eight kills.
“I love that girl to death,” Tupuola said. “I’m very, very proud of her, but it was hard seeing her succeed as she did.”
The Owls have little time to regroup, however, as the take on Charlotte in McGonigle Hall on Saturday trying to stay in the playoff hunt. With Fordham and Rhode Island neck and neck with Temple every match is critical.
“It’s still there,” Tupuola said. “Our hunger for more is still there.”
(October 27, 2012)
Temple has dropped four of last five matches.
Despite returning home to an energetic crowd for the first time in four weeks the Owls dropped their fourth match in their last five, falling in straight sets to Atlantic 10 Conference newcomer VCU (22-3, 8-2 in A-10).
Temple now sits at 5-5 in the conference, struggling to hold onto the sixth and final conference playoff spot.
“I think we just need to regroup,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said. “We need to seriously sit down and assess ourselves individually and figure out what’s going on.”
“Our team works best when we’re all together and as soon as one person’s out, we’re struggling,” Matautia added. “If two people aren’t having a good game we’re really in trouble, and it’s just like a snowball effect.”
VCU jumped out right away in the first set and never looked back, as Temple was only able to tie the score once in the open points. The rams hit .571 in the set without recording an error as they ran away 25-15.
Temple didn’t fare much better in the second set as the Rams’ height was too much for them, en route to a 25-16 loss. VCU hit .320 with just four errors while the Owls struggled to get anything going, recording just nine kills on .094 hitting.
“It should have been actually really exciting for us,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. “We made it look harder than it was.”
“People probably thought we were back on our heels and were just so surprised when we really weren’t,” she added.
The final set proved to be closer, with seven ties and three lead changes but the Owls fizzled at the end, falling 25-19 in front of an unusually silent crowd.
“They had a very good game plan and they really did a good job executing it,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “But they’re actually not very skilled technique-wise, as a team they play very well together.”
The team was noticeably frustrated afterwards, particularly in their inability to generate energy within themselves.
“As soon as we start to play bad we get mad at ourselves and then we kind of put more unneeded pressure because we’re frustrated with ourselves that we just want to do as good as we know we can be,” Matautia said.
Ganes added that the team seemed timid, something Tupuola and Matautia agreed with. It didn’t help the Owls either that sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini sprained her ankle in practice this week and had to sit out. She’ll also miss the match against Charlotte on Saturday.
Temple lost in every major category, with the biggest difference being hitting percentage and blocks. VCU had 12 stuffs on the night compared to one for the Owls. The home team also had an uncharacteristically high seven service errors.
“We should have been more aggressive on the serve,” Ganes said. “That’s something we can control and it doesn’t matter how small, how big you are. That’s an easy way to attack the opponent.”
Matuatia led the match with 12 kills, hitting .233 on the night while fellow junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert tacked on 11 of her own. But that was as good as it got for Temple.
“It was a big goal for us to use the block instead of just swing,” Tupuola said.
Former Owl, redshirt senior middle back Jasmine Waters, was efficient against her former squad, hitting at a .583 clip with eight kills.
“I love that girl to death,” Tupuola said. “I’m very, very proud of her, but it was hard seeing her succeed as she did.”
The Owls have little time to regroup, however, as the take on Charlotte in McGonigle Hall on Saturday trying to stay in the playoff hunt. With Fordham and Rhode Island neck and neck with Temple every match is critical.
“It’s still there,” Tupuola said. “Our hunger for more is still there.”
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball hosts A-10 newcomer VCU
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/26/volleyball-hosts-a-10-newcomer-vcu/
(October 26, 2012)
The Owls (15-8, 5-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) return home this weekend with five games remaining in conference play.
On Friday they take on A-10 newcomer Virginia Commonwealth University, who is off to a hot start at 7-2 in the conference, tied with Xavier for second. The Rams are coming off three straight sweeps, against fellow newcomer Butler, George Washington and Duquesne.
"I think it's going to be a really tough weekend for us because they're very big and very physical," coach Bakeer Ganes said. "I think it really comes down to ball handling."
There's a lot of excitement in this match on our part," VCU coach James Finley said. "The girls have had it marked down. They're looking forward to going and we know it's going to be a really tough match."
This is the teams' only matchup as conference foes, with Temple set to leave for the Big East following the season.
The match begins at 7 p.m. in McGonigle Hall.
-Jake Adams
(October 26, 2012)
The Owls (15-8, 5-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) return home this weekend with five games remaining in conference play.
On Friday they take on A-10 newcomer Virginia Commonwealth University, who is off to a hot start at 7-2 in the conference, tied with Xavier for second. The Rams are coming off three straight sweeps, against fellow newcomer Butler, George Washington and Duquesne.
"I think it's going to be a really tough weekend for us because they're very big and very physical," coach Bakeer Ganes said. "I think it really comes down to ball handling."
There's a lot of excitement in this match on our part," VCU coach James Finley said. "The girls have had it marked down. They're looking forward to going and we know it's going to be a really tough match."
This is the teams' only matchup as conference foes, with Temple set to leave for the Big East following the season.
The match begins at 7 p.m. in McGonigle Hall.
-Jake Adams
Oct 23, 2012
TTN: Defense allows for team's offensive ability
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/10/23/defense-allows-for-teams-offensive-ability/
(October 23, 2012)
Effective defense translates into effective offense.
Baseball has sabermetrics, a new-age category of stats that can track a player’s ability in everything from range on the field to wins above replacement. Volleyball may not have sabermetrics, but if it did, it would definitely track how effectively a good dig sets up a team’s chances for knocking down a kill.
Volleyball’s connection between offense and defense is far more symbiotic than many sports, as there’s an immediate effect from defense to offense with a dig leading to a set which leads to a hit. Football doesn’t have it, and certainly not baseball.
In the perfect play in volleyball, the libero digs the opposing team’s hit, passing it perfectly in front of the net slightly to the right of the middle of the court. This allows the setter to read all of her hitting options and set the ball to who she feels has the best chance at getting a kill.
If the setter takes that good pass and sets the ball right in a hitter’s sweet spot, then the opposing defense is in trouble.
“It’s a great feeling,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said about kills. “If [a pass is] up and I know that [sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser] can get to it, I have no doubt in my mind that our offense is going to put that down.”
“The ball just goes right into the setter’s hand, and you have all three options, and the other team doesn’t know where to go,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said. “It’s great to get that pass.”
The Owls pride themselves on their defense behind the leadership of Tupuola. The squad averages 17.9 digs per set this season and opposing teams average 17.1. In games where the Owls win the dig battle they’re 12-3, and 3-5 when they lose.
“As an offensive player, when you get a ball and you just plant it and the other team digs it and you thought it was a kill…it’s just such a bummer,” Burkert said. “It makes a huge difference.”
Flip the stats to what happens with those digs and there are even more powerful trends. Temple is 12-0 this season when the Owls win the hitting percentage battle and 15-2 when they hit at least .150 in a match. They’re also 11-1 when they record at least 13 kills per set.
The records in these categories indicate the team excels at converting a good pass into a good hit. If the passes are bad at a higher rate, the offensive stats, especially hitting percentage, would be drastically different.
“It definitely shows that it’s not just one-sided, definitely both sides,” Tupuola said. “I think it’s a little bit of both, but our offense has improved so much since the beginning of the season. We’ve complemented our offense numerous times.”
Last weekend was a perfect microcosm of the Owls’ season. Temple beat Fordham Friday, Oct. 18, night 3-2 thanks to the Owls’ ability to dig the ball and effective hit off good passes. Sunday, Oct. 20, was the opposite, as the team lost in every major category and fell in five sets to Rhode Island.
One would expect most teams to have a winning record when they win in these categories, but Temple almost always comes out on top, indicating just how important that digging-to-hitting connection is in volleyball.
The intimacy of offense and defense in volleyball isn’t just felt from dig to pass, but in how the two halves communicate. The more a team talks, offense to defense and defense to offense, then success is more easily reached.
“Communication in any sport is ideal, and if you have good communication on the court you’re definitely going to have better flow on the court,” Tupuola said.
Blocking plays a role in that equation, forcing teams to hit to parts of the court where Temple defenders are at, but the undersized Owls average just 1.7 blocks per set. It’s not the deciding factor on this team.
“If you can block a ball better than we have in the past then it really opens up to control the ball much better on defense and it really puts our hitters in one-on-one situations,” coach Bakeer Ganes said after Friday’s win over Fordham. “It kind of goes hand in hand.”
Hand in hand is just how a volleyball offense and defense should work, and that’s when Temple is at its best, working as one unit.
“The good thing is about this group, we know what we need to do in order to be successful and we know how important for us team chemistry is,” Ganes said.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
(October 23, 2012)
Effective defense translates into effective offense.
Baseball has sabermetrics, a new-age category of stats that can track a player’s ability in everything from range on the field to wins above replacement. Volleyball may not have sabermetrics, but if it did, it would definitely track how effectively a good dig sets up a team’s chances for knocking down a kill.
Volleyball’s connection between offense and defense is far more symbiotic than many sports, as there’s an immediate effect from defense to offense with a dig leading to a set which leads to a hit. Football doesn’t have it, and certainly not baseball.
In the perfect play in volleyball, the libero digs the opposing team’s hit, passing it perfectly in front of the net slightly to the right of the middle of the court. This allows the setter to read all of her hitting options and set the ball to who she feels has the best chance at getting a kill.
If the setter takes that good pass and sets the ball right in a hitter’s sweet spot, then the opposing defense is in trouble.
“It’s a great feeling,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said about kills. “If [a pass is] up and I know that [sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser] can get to it, I have no doubt in my mind that our offense is going to put that down.”
“The ball just goes right into the setter’s hand, and you have all three options, and the other team doesn’t know where to go,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said. “It’s great to get that pass.”
The Owls pride themselves on their defense behind the leadership of Tupuola. The squad averages 17.9 digs per set this season and opposing teams average 17.1. In games where the Owls win the dig battle they’re 12-3, and 3-5 when they lose.
“As an offensive player, when you get a ball and you just plant it and the other team digs it and you thought it was a kill…it’s just such a bummer,” Burkert said. “It makes a huge difference.”
Flip the stats to what happens with those digs and there are even more powerful trends. Temple is 12-0 this season when the Owls win the hitting percentage battle and 15-2 when they hit at least .150 in a match. They’re also 11-1 when they record at least 13 kills per set.
The records in these categories indicate the team excels at converting a good pass into a good hit. If the passes are bad at a higher rate, the offensive stats, especially hitting percentage, would be drastically different.
“It definitely shows that it’s not just one-sided, definitely both sides,” Tupuola said. “I think it’s a little bit of both, but our offense has improved so much since the beginning of the season. We’ve complemented our offense numerous times.”
Last weekend was a perfect microcosm of the Owls’ season. Temple beat Fordham Friday, Oct. 18, night 3-2 thanks to the Owls’ ability to dig the ball and effective hit off good passes. Sunday, Oct. 20, was the opposite, as the team lost in every major category and fell in five sets to Rhode Island.
One would expect most teams to have a winning record when they win in these categories, but Temple almost always comes out on top, indicating just how important that digging-to-hitting connection is in volleyball.
The intimacy of offense and defense in volleyball isn’t just felt from dig to pass, but in how the two halves communicate. The more a team talks, offense to defense and defense to offense, then success is more easily reached.
“Communication in any sport is ideal, and if you have good communication on the court you’re definitely going to have better flow on the court,” Tupuola said.
Blocking plays a role in that equation, forcing teams to hit to parts of the court where Temple defenders are at, but the undersized Owls average just 1.7 blocks per set. It’s not the deciding factor on this team.
“If you can block a ball better than we have in the past then it really opens up to control the ball much better on defense and it really puts our hitters in one-on-one situations,” coach Bakeer Ganes said after Friday’s win over Fordham. “It kind of goes hand in hand.”
Hand in hand is just how a volleyball offense and defense should work, and that’s when Temple is at its best, working as one unit.
“The good thing is about this group, we know what we need to do in order to be successful and we know how important for us team chemistry is,” Ganes said.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
TTN: Volleyball loses crucial A-10 match to Rhode Island
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/10/21/volleyball-loses-crucial-a-10-match-to-rhode-island/
(October 21, 2012)
The Owls lose in five sets after a number of calls by the referees that the team weren’t happy with.
Temple’s game against Rhode Island (8-14, 4-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) on Sunday played out almost exactly like the Owls’ (15-8, 5-4 in the A-10) Friday night win over Fordham, except for one critical thing.
(October 21, 2012)
The Owls lose in five sets after a number of calls by the referees that the team weren’t happy with.
Temple’s game against Rhode Island (8-14, 4-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) on Sunday played out almost exactly like the Owls’ (15-8, 5-4 in the A-10) Friday night win over Fordham, except for one critical thing.
Temple didn’t walk away the victor.
“We weren’t quite in the rhythm that we wanted to be in,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said. “It seemed like we were working really hard to do things that we normally don’t have to put so much effort into doing well.”
Two nights after junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia set a career high with 30 kills, the Hawaiian native knocked down another 25 kills, along with 20 digs.
“It was great to see her do that,” Burkert said. “It was kind of relieving because you know she could do it.”
“It was hard seeing that someone just put up more effort than any of us,” senior libero Chelsea Tupuola said of not being able to win with a performance like that. “She did a great job this weekend.”
Temple kicked off the match with a 25-18 first-set victory, much like the Owls start to the Fordham match. And again the team dropped the next two sets, including the third in extra points, 30-28.
“Towards the end of the first set we got a little bit sloppy,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We had some errors, concentration errors, and that kind of gave, I think, Rhode Island some hope and we just couldn’t keep up the cleanness of the match in the second and third set.”
“We should have stuck with our game plan, not get too comfortable,” Tupuola said.
Temple rallied in the fourth set, which went back and forth for its entirety until Matautia broke a 22-22 tie with a kill followed by two unforced Rams errors.
Rhode Island dropped the first point of the fifth and deciding set with an attack error, but recovered quickly and never trailed again. At one point they held a 10- lead, which the Owls were able to chip away at, but the hole was too deep.
Coach Ganes said the referees didn’t help matters.
“I never said anything like this in my career, but this is the second time we got screwed by the referees,” Ganes said. “And I never, ever blame the referees for the outcome of the match, but it’s almost impossible to come out here and win.”
“This is just frustration I guess talking, but I’ve never seen anything like that in my career,” he added. “It’s just crucial calls at crucial moments were given to Rhode Island, and clear calls. It’s just a pattern, it’s not just one or two calls we’re talking about four, five or six calls in an entire match.”
Both Ganes and Burkert said they did as much as they could not to allow the calls to affect their play, but did believe that those few points likely changed the outcome of the match.
“That’s frustrating and it’s frustrating for the girls too,” Ganes said. “I guess it’s part of home court advantage. We can’t use that as an excuse.”
“We tried to just shake it off and play the next point, and I think we did a good job of it, but sometimes it comes down to a few points,” Burkert said. “Bad calls at bad times lead to things like that.”
Rhode Island walked away with a 15-10 set victory, giving them the match and evening the season series at one game apiece.
The loss dilutes the team’s Friday victory over Fordham, however. While the team holds the series advantage over the Rams, they can’t afford many losses with the season winding down clinging to the last A-10 playoff spot.
“We definitely can’t relax on these last few weeks of the regular season,” Tupuola said. “We have to stay focused one game at a time and take it from there.”
Temple returns to McGonigle Hall for the weekend as they try and stay in the playoff hunt. They host Virginia Commonwealth University (21-3, 7-2 in the A-10) on Friday before taking on Charlotte (9-12, 1-8 in the A-10) on Saturday. It’s their second last weekend at home of the season.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball travels to Rhode Island
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/21/volleyball-travels-to-rhode-island/
(October 21, 2012)
After making a pit stop in New York City to dispose of/in a loss to Fordham, the Owls head farther up I-95 to visit Rhode Island in another Atlantic 10 Conference rematch Sunday.
In the first meeting this season between these two, Temple struggled in the early going but picked up the pace midway through the first set en route to sweeping the Rams 3-0. Junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert combined for 30 kills on 73 attempts.
Rhode Island has struggled since the two teams faced, with its only wins against the only winless programs in the A-10, La Salle and Charlotte.
A win for the Owls provides extra cushion as they try to stay in the top six of the conference for a berth in the A-10 Tournament.
The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.
-Jake Adams
(October 21, 2012)
After making a pit stop in New York City to dispose of/in a loss to Fordham, the Owls head farther up I-95 to visit Rhode Island in another Atlantic 10 Conference rematch Sunday.
In the first meeting this season between these two, Temple struggled in the early going but picked up the pace midway through the first set en route to sweeping the Rams 3-0. Junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert combined for 30 kills on 73 attempts.
Rhode Island has struggled since the two teams faced, with its only wins against the only winless programs in the A-10, La Salle and Charlotte.
A win for the Owls provides extra cushion as they try to stay in the top six of the conference for a berth in the A-10 Tournament.
The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.
-Jake Adams
TTN: Matautia's career night leads volleyball to win
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/21/volleyball-travels-to-rhode-island/
(October 20, 2012)
Gabriella Matautia had a career high 30 kills in the Owls’ five-set win against Fordham.
It took a career night by junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia and a late offensive surge with their backs against the wall to save the Owls (15-7, 5-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference) on Friday.
Matautia caught fire against Fordham (12-15, 4-4) with 30 kills as Temple escaped their trip to New York in a come-from-behind five-set thriller. Matautia’s previous career mark was 23 kills, set last season against Duquesne.
“I think [Matautia] had a tremendous night,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “She did a great job for us on defense as well, which is probably one of the weaker points of her game.”
“We had a great serve-receive,” Matautia said. “Kind of the whole team worked out, it gave me a better chance to hit the ball.”
Temple dominated the first set thanks to Matautia’s seven kills. The team hit .370 in the set while recording three blocks and walked away with a comfortable 25-17 victory.
But the tide turned dramatically in the second set. Matautia recorded four more kills, along with two aces. The Owls jumped ahead 5-1 to open the set but the Rams chipped away, eventually tying the score at 9-9. A 7-3 Fordham run pushed the score to 17-13. While the visitors chipped away they were never able to even the set, falling 25-22.
Fordham kept up the pace in the third set, pulling ahead 8-4 to start. The Owls fought back to within one a few times, the last being 15-14, but the Rams pulled away with a 25-19 victory. Matautia tacked on another eight kills, leading all players.
“We were making all these unforced errors and we were kind of in a funk,” Matautia said.
Temple jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set thanks to three kills and a Fordham attack error, but a 6-1 Rams run gave the home team a 13-11 lead. The Owls stayed within three points for much of the set after that but weren’t able to make a serious run.
They eventually tied the score at 21-21 thanks to a block by Matautia and sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini. A back and forth final few points saw the Owls finally pull away with a 26-24 victory thanks to a timely kill and ace by Matautia, who had another six kills.
Ganes said the team changed their blocking tactics, which he credits for shifting the momentum back in their favor.
“We actually decided to block them cross-court, and send them to our weaker defender which is our right-side defender,” he said.
The Owls once again jumped out to an early lead, 6-2, in the deciding fifth set, but unlike previous efforts Fordham wasn’t able to claw back right away. After a Matautia error put the score at 11-9, the game’s star put down two kills to extend the lead to 13-10. They would close out the set 15-11, taking the match 3-2.
She would finish the set with five kills, leading the match once again. On the night Matautia hit .367, tallied a match-high five aces, narrowly missed on a double-double with nine digs, and had four blocking assists.
Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert notched 13 kills of her own to go along with a team-leading 20 digs, while sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser dished out 52 assists and doubled that up with 11 digs of her own.
Temple led nearly every category with a .219 hitting percentage, 10 aces, 76 digs and 8.5 team blocks. Fordham’s ultimate undoing was errors, with 56 in all, including 11 blocking errors.
“I thought Fordham made some really big plays when it mattered,” Ganes said. “But the good thing is we didn’t really get that discouraged. We just kept doing what we were supposed to do.”
Temple’s victory gives them a 2-0 series advantage over the Rams, which means a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker with the conference tournament approaching. The two squads are jockeying for the sixth and final playoff spot. Ganes and company effectively have a two game lead over Fordham now with just six games remaining.
“It’s definitely tough because, regardless of what happened the first time one team [is] angry and they want to come back,” Matautia said.
“We definitely went into today’s game talking about how we definitely wanted to win this to help get us to the A-10′s and so we could control our own destiny getting there,” she added.
The Owls head further north following the match as they get set to take on Rhode Island on Sunday, which they defeated to start the A-10 season in straight sets. A win would keep the Owls a game ahead, with the head-to-head tiebreaker over Fordham for the final tournament playoff spot.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.
(October 20, 2012)
Gabriella Matautia had a career high 30 kills in the Owls’ five-set win against Fordham.
It took a career night by junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia and a late offensive surge with their backs against the wall to save the Owls (15-7, 5-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference) on Friday.
Matautia caught fire against Fordham (12-15, 4-4) with 30 kills as Temple escaped their trip to New York in a come-from-behind five-set thriller. Matautia’s previous career mark was 23 kills, set last season against Duquesne.
“I think [Matautia] had a tremendous night,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “She did a great job for us on defense as well, which is probably one of the weaker points of her game.”
“We had a great serve-receive,” Matautia said. “Kind of the whole team worked out, it gave me a better chance to hit the ball.”
Temple dominated the first set thanks to Matautia’s seven kills. The team hit .370 in the set while recording three blocks and walked away with a comfortable 25-17 victory.
But the tide turned dramatically in the second set. Matautia recorded four more kills, along with two aces. The Owls jumped ahead 5-1 to open the set but the Rams chipped away, eventually tying the score at 9-9. A 7-3 Fordham run pushed the score to 17-13. While the visitors chipped away they were never able to even the set, falling 25-22.
Fordham kept up the pace in the third set, pulling ahead 8-4 to start. The Owls fought back to within one a few times, the last being 15-14, but the Rams pulled away with a 25-19 victory. Matautia tacked on another eight kills, leading all players.
“We were making all these unforced errors and we were kind of in a funk,” Matautia said.
Temple jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set thanks to three kills and a Fordham attack error, but a 6-1 Rams run gave the home team a 13-11 lead. The Owls stayed within three points for much of the set after that but weren’t able to make a serious run.
They eventually tied the score at 21-21 thanks to a block by Matautia and sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini. A back and forth final few points saw the Owls finally pull away with a 26-24 victory thanks to a timely kill and ace by Matautia, who had another six kills.
Ganes said the team changed their blocking tactics, which he credits for shifting the momentum back in their favor.
“We actually decided to block them cross-court, and send them to our weaker defender which is our right-side defender,” he said.
The Owls once again jumped out to an early lead, 6-2, in the deciding fifth set, but unlike previous efforts Fordham wasn’t able to claw back right away. After a Matautia error put the score at 11-9, the game’s star put down two kills to extend the lead to 13-10. They would close out the set 15-11, taking the match 3-2.
She would finish the set with five kills, leading the match once again. On the night Matautia hit .367, tallied a match-high five aces, narrowly missed on a double-double with nine digs, and had four blocking assists.
Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert notched 13 kills of her own to go along with a team-leading 20 digs, while sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser dished out 52 assists and doubled that up with 11 digs of her own.
Temple led nearly every category with a .219 hitting percentage, 10 aces, 76 digs and 8.5 team blocks. Fordham’s ultimate undoing was errors, with 56 in all, including 11 blocking errors.
“I thought Fordham made some really big plays when it mattered,” Ganes said. “But the good thing is we didn’t really get that discouraged. We just kept doing what we were supposed to do.”
Temple’s victory gives them a 2-0 series advantage over the Rams, which means a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker with the conference tournament approaching. The two squads are jockeying for the sixth and final playoff spot. Ganes and company effectively have a two game lead over Fordham now with just six games remaining.
“It’s definitely tough because, regardless of what happened the first time one team [is] angry and they want to come back,” Matautia said.
“We definitely went into today’s game talking about how we definitely wanted to win this to help get us to the A-10′s and so we could control our own destiny getting there,” she added.
The Owls head further north following the match as they get set to take on Rhode Island on Sunday, which they defeated to start the A-10 season in straight sets. A win would keep the Owls a game ahead, with the head-to-head tiebreaker over Fordham for the final tournament playoff spot.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball faces Fordham in the Bronx
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/19/volleyball-faces-fordham-in-the-bronx/
(October 19, 2012)
The Owls (14-7) head to the Bronx, N.Y. to take on Fordham (12-14) Friday, in a rematch of the Atlantic 10 Conference season's second game.
Temple walked away from that match with a 3-0 sweep thanks to 23 total kills by junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert. The win pushed the team to 2-0 in the young conference season, but the Owls have since struggled of late, sitting at 4-3 in the A-10.
Temple is coming off back-to-back losses last weekend against Duquesne and George Washington, dropping them to the middle of the pack in the standings.
With a win Coach Bakeer Ganes and company could give themselves a cushion as they struggle to stay in the conference tournament hunt. A victory would keep the Owls in sixth in the standings, with a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Rams.
Fordham is also 4-3 in the A-10, and are also coming off back-to-back losses, being swept by Dayton and Xavier.
The match begins at 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
(October 19, 2012)
The Owls (14-7) head to the Bronx, N.Y. to take on Fordham (12-14) Friday, in a rematch of the Atlantic 10 Conference season's second game.
Temple walked away from that match with a 3-0 sweep thanks to 23 total kills by junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert. The win pushed the team to 2-0 in the young conference season, but the Owls have since struggled of late, sitting at 4-3 in the A-10.
Temple is coming off back-to-back losses last weekend against Duquesne and George Washington, dropping them to the middle of the pack in the standings.
With a win Coach Bakeer Ganes and company could give themselves a cushion as they struggle to stay in the conference tournament hunt. A victory would keep the Owls in sixth in the standings, with a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Rams.
Fordham is also 4-3 in the A-10, and are also coming off back-to-back losses, being swept by Dayton and Xavier.
The match begins at 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball faces tough A-10 test at GW
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/14/volleyball-faces-tough-a-10-test-at-gw/
(October 14, 2012)
The Owls now face the very real possibility of falling into the middle of the Atlantic 10 COnference pack when they head to George Washington (4-2 in A-10) to take on the Colonials Sunday.
Temple is 1-2 in their last three games, with losses against conference leading Dayton (6-0) and Duquesne (5-1) on Friday. The Owls are 4-2 in the conference, tied with Xavier, Fordham and George Washington.
A loss would knock them out of the Top 5.
Temple is coming of a straight set loss to Duquesne, where junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the team with 12 kills. The team struggled on the night with the height of the Dukes' blocks.
The Colonials have six players on their roster over six feet, which could pose yet another challenge for the Owls.
The match begins at 1 p.m.
-Jake Adams
(October 14, 2012)
The Owls now face the very real possibility of falling into the middle of the Atlantic 10 COnference pack when they head to George Washington (4-2 in A-10) to take on the Colonials Sunday.
Temple is 1-2 in their last three games, with losses against conference leading Dayton (6-0) and Duquesne (5-1) on Friday. The Owls are 4-2 in the conference, tied with Xavier, Fordham and George Washington.
A loss would knock them out of the Top 5.
Temple is coming of a straight set loss to Duquesne, where junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the team with 12 kills. The team struggled on the night with the height of the Dukes' blocks.
The Colonials have six players on their roster over six feet, which could pose yet another challenge for the Owls.
The match begins at 1 p.m.
-Jake Adams
Oct 13, 2012
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball travels to Duquesne
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/12/volleyball-travels-to-duquesne/
(October 12, 2012)
Coming off a 3-0 sweep against La Salle, the volleyball team (4-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) heads west to take on conference foe Duquesne (4-1) on Friday.
Temple will be looking to ride its defense to another win, in a match that they will likely be considered an underdog. The Owls rank No. 12 in the nation, and first in the A-10, with 17.8 digs per set.
Duquesne, coming off a 3-1 loss against George Washington, features a balanced offence, however. The Dukes have four players with at least two kills per set. Junior outside hitter Allison Foschia leads the team with 2.99 per set.
Last season the teams split their season series, with both squads winning at home. Temple is looking to stay near the top of the conference, and with a win of Duquesne would remain in second place.
The match starts at 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
(October 12, 2012)
Coming off a 3-0 sweep against La Salle, the volleyball team (4-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference) heads west to take on conference foe Duquesne (4-1) on Friday.
Temple will be looking to ride its defense to another win, in a match that they will likely be considered an underdog. The Owls rank No. 12 in the nation, and first in the A-10, with 17.8 digs per set.
Duquesne, coming off a 3-1 loss against George Washington, features a balanced offence, however. The Dukes have four players with at least two kills per set. Junior outside hitter Allison Foschia leads the team with 2.99 per set.
Last season the teams split their season series, with both squads winning at home. Temple is looking to stay near the top of the conference, and with a win of Duquesne would remain in second place.
The match starts at 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
TTN: Owls improve upon underdog status
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/10/08/owls-improve-upon-underdog-status/
(October 8, 2012)
The volleyball team experiences unexpected success.
(October 8, 2012)
The volleyball team experiences unexpected success.
Sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser (right) averages 11.34 assists per set, ranking second in the A-10. ( HUA ZONG // TTN )
The Owls find themselves caught in the middle of an identity crisis.
With a 14–5 record and second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the volleyball team is in limbo between underdog status in the conference and a spot as a legitimate contender in every match, with aspirations of serious championship contention.
“I think throughout the season we’ve been thinking we’re a contender in every match even though the other team might see us as the underdog,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said.
“The downfall of being the underdog is that they don’t take you seriously, at least at first,” junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said. “We’ve been showing [other teams] that that’s just not the case.”
Temple sits at 4–1 in the conference nearly one-third of the way into the A-10 season. Temple trails only Dayton, which it lost to on Sept. 29. Though second place in the conference doesn’t equate to underdog status, it was a mentality the team had early in the year.
“It’s great to be 4–1, but we really don’t want to change the approach we took from the beginning of the season,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We’re still looking from match to match.”
“Even though we had a good start and we had some good wins and we were able to compete with some of the teams we were not able to compete with in the past, we still have a long way to go if we want to get better,” Ganes added.
One of those “good wins” was against Xavier, which the Owls knocked off in upset fashion at home 3–2 on Sept. 28. It was an outcome that should have sent a message to the conference that Temple is no longer a joke, which is exactly how Dayton responded the next night, Ganes said.
“The way Dayton came out, it was definitely influenced by the performance we had against Xavier,” Ganes said. “Dayton came out with the mindset that they’re going to send a message to everybody in the conference, they’re going to send a message to us, because they know they can’t take us easy.”
“I imagine that the [opposing] coaching staff will tell the team that they cannot take us lightly [from now on],” Burkert said.
Temple opened the A-10 season with back-to-back wins against Rhode Island and Fordham before upsetting the Musketeers. Following the Dayton loss, the Owls recovered Friday, Oct. 5, at La Salle with a straight set victory as they tried to maintain the momentum they had before their first conference loss.
It’s a far cry from what the team went through last season when they were 2–3 at the same point. The Owls had the same slate of teams as well, but instead fell to Xavier in straight sets and Fordham in four.
The difference thus far has been a combination of improved play and confidence, Burkert said.
“I think our minds are right with that, that we’re confident but we don’t think we’re going to win every game without working really hard and playing a good game,” Burkert said.
A telling sign of that may have been the victory against the Explorers. While a straight-set win generally indicates a lopsided match, that wasn’t the case. Temple struggled on offense, hitting just .150 on the night. The team felt off, possibly due to being on the road for the first time in weeks and possibly from dealing with the loss to Dayton.
“We do have high expectations for ourselves,” Burkert said. “It’s a good sign for a team to win when they don’t have their best game, and that’s how it was in that game.”
Last season this same team may not have pulled off a victory, much less a sweep, playing their “B” or “C” game. And that’s where it helps to have an improved roster.
Temple has several individuals at or near the top of several categories in the A-10. Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola leads the conference with 5.40 digs per set, setting the tone for a defensive unit that has improved dramatically from last season.
Sophomore setter Tiffany Connatser sits in second with 11.34 assists per set. And the beneficiaries of those sets, Burkert (4.20 kills per set) and Matautia (3.78), sit in second and fourth in the conference, respectively.
“I think we need to focus on staying aggressive throughout the game, even when the blocks are big or maybe the sets aren’t quite right,” Burkert said of the duo’s approach the rest of the season. “We can’t ever become timid.”
The team is also second in the A-10 in aces per set with 1.48, with Matautia leading all individuals with .39 per set.
They aren’t overpowering teams, but as a unit they’ve proven they can hang with everyone in the conference. It puts the Owls in a position of making a deep run in the playoffs.
But for now this underdog-turned contender is focusing on another surging squad, Duquesne.
“We need to go in with the mindset of we need to prove that we deserve to be here, not we should just be here,” Matautia said.
“So moving forward we really need to be prepared, because we know nobody’s going to take us easily, hopefully, and nobody’s going to give us anything for free,” Ganes said.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
Oct 7, 2012
TTN: Volleyball sweeps La Salle on the road
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/10/06/volleyball-sweeps-la-salle-on-the-road/
(October 6, 2012)
The Owls beat the Explorers in straight sets, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.
(October 6, 2012)
The Owls beat the Explorers in straight sets, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.
The Owls took care of business against Big 5 rival La Salle, thanks to 26 combined kills by junior outside hitters Gabriella Matautia and Elyse Burkert.
Temple needed three sets to finish off the Explorers, improving to 2-0 against them on the season and 47-1 all time. The team also improved to 4-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, staying right behind Dayton (4-0).
“It’s not easy to play against La Salle,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “If you look at our schedule they’re probably the only team left where we’re not the clear underdog, so it’s always tough to play against a team like that.”
The Owls struggled out the gate, falling behind 10-5 in the opening set thanks in large part to missed attacking opportunities. After an 8-2 run put them up 13-12 the teams battled back and forth until the closing points when La Salle made several critical unforced errors to hand Temple the first set, 25-23.
“La Salle, even though they’re struggling to get some wins in the A-10, they’re actually doing a good job playing pretty smart,” Ganes said. “On the other hand we didn’t do a very good job performing to the best ability we could either.”
Temple picked up the pace a bit in the second set, hitting at a .225 clip, compared to -.079 in the first. But they still struggled to take command of the set, falling behind 4-2 before climbing back to take the lead. The Owls largest lead was at 22-18 before they closed out with three straight points thanks to more unforced La Salle errors to win 25-20.
Temple found similar success in the final set, but jumped out to a 6-3 lead early. The Explorers only held the lead once in the set, at 2-1 off a service ace, but Temple quickly recovered and never looked back. They finished off the Explorers 25-19, completing their second sweep against their rival this season.
The loss dropped La Salle to 0-5 in the A-10 and 3-17 overall.
Ganes said it was possible the team wasn’t quite ready for their first away match since the middle of September, when the team travelled to the Miami (OH) Invitational.
“We talked about it,” Ganes said. “I think we really got comfortable being at home, especially after being on the road for such a long time.”
“We didn’t really have the support we had at home,” he added. “So I think that might have played a little bit of a role today as well.”
Overall, it wasn’t the strongest performance by the Owls this season. The offense hit at a .150 clip while the defense held La Salle to .130 on the night. Burkert was the only Owl to record a double-double, taking on 15 digs with her 11 kills. Senior libero Chelsea Tupuola had a match-leading 19 digs and three aces.
“Sometimes it’s not easy to play at the highest level over and over throughout a season,” Ganes said. “You’re going to have some highs and you’re going to have some lows.”
“Even though we had some difficulty executing the way we wanted I think, overall, it was still a good performance,” Ganes added. “We could have easily lost a set, even a couple sets, to La Salle.”
The Owls don’t play the rest of the weekend, but return to action next weekend when they travel to face Duquesne (4-1 in the A-10) on Friday before squaring off against George Washington (3-2 in the A-10) on Sunday in two tough conference matchups.
Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
TTN The Cherry: Volleyball heads to La Salle for Big 5 match-up
http://thecherry.temple-news.com/2012/10/05/volleyball-heads-to-la-salle-for-big-5-match-up/
(October 5, 2012)
The Owls return to action this weekend in another Atlantic 10 Conference battle, this time traveling to La Salle to take on a struggling Explorers team.
Temple already faced La Salle this season, sweeping them 3-0 in the Big 5 Tournament. Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the match with 12 kills and tacked on 12 digs as well as the Owls cruised 25-22, 25-20 and 25-12 in the Palestra.
Since their last meeting the teams have headed in completely different directions. The Explorers have gone just 2-10 since facing Temple, including 0-4 in the A-10.
Meanwhile the Owls have gone 10-2, with their losses coming at the hands of Miami (OH) and Dayton, as the team sits near the top of the conference at 3-1.
Sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini said after the Dayton loss that the Owls have the mentality of a team that doesn't expect to lose another conference meet, beginning with La Salle.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
(October 5, 2012)
The Owls return to action this weekend in another Atlantic 10 Conference battle, this time traveling to La Salle to take on a struggling Explorers team.
Temple already faced La Salle this season, sweeping them 3-0 in the Big 5 Tournament. Junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert led the match with 12 kills and tacked on 12 digs as well as the Owls cruised 25-22, 25-20 and 25-12 in the Palestra.
Since their last meeting the teams have headed in completely different directions. The Explorers have gone just 2-10 since facing Temple, including 0-4 in the A-10.
Meanwhile the Owls have gone 10-2, with their losses coming at the hands of Miami (OH) and Dayton, as the team sits near the top of the conference at 3-1.
Sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini said after the Dayton loss that the Owls have the mentality of a team that doesn't expect to lose another conference meet, beginning with La Salle.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
-Jake Adams
Oct 1, 2012
TTN: Owls knocked-off by No. 20 Dayton
http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/09/30/owls-knocked-off-by-no-20-dayton/
(September 30, 2012)
Temple sits at 3-1 in conference play.
One night after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent years the Owls faced an even bigger challenged hosting No. 20 Dayton.
(September 30, 2012)
Temple sits at 3-1 in conference play.
One night after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent years the Owls faced an even bigger challenged hosting No. 20 Dayton.
The Owls entered the match as rising contenders in the A-10, trying to prove they could hang with regular powerhouses like Dayton coming off their five-set stunner over Xavier. Both teams were 3-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play at the start of the night, but only one could walk away still undefeated.
While Temple had aspirations of playing David against a much more talented Goliath the Flyers had other plans, sweeping the home team in straight sets and knocking them down to 3-1 in conference play.
“I think some people got carried away a little bit,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We can’t all of a sudden start talking about winning the A-10. I think Dayton wanted to make sure we were very aware of that.”
“They we’re focused,” Ganes said. “They wanted to send a message […] to make sure we know they’re the best team in the conference.”
Dayton asserted their dominance from the outset, taking the first set 25-16 thanks to overpowering offense and a stifling defense.
“We knew Dayton was going to be a good team and we knew we wanted to play well but I don’t think we were as focused on let’s beat this team,” junior outside hitter Elyse Burkert said. “I don’t think our attitude was quite right for this game.”
Temple came into the match clearly outsized against the likes of six-foot, four-inch senior outside hitter Rachel Krabacher. Temple’s tallest athlete, sophomore middle back Jennifer Iacobini stands in at six feet, one inch, in comparison.
“It’s hard for a defense to try to get a ball when there’s no block pretty much because she’s hitting over us,” Iacobini said. “They’re ranked 20th for a reason.”
“They set the middle and their middle just hit over our middles,” Burkert said. “It’s really hard to stop that because your defense doesn’t even know where to play because their angle is the entire court at that point.”
Temple put up a fight in the second set, but only held the lead once in the early going before Dayton took over for good, eventually running away 25-18. The Owls hit just .047 in the set and were blocked four times.
The third set was even worse in front of the home crowd of 227 as temple barely reached double-digit points, falling 25-10 in a set where they never quite had a chance.
“I don’t know what happened that third game,” Iacobini said. “It was a little bit embarrassing.”
“They really improved [after the second set] and put their foot on the gas pedal, but we couldn’t really keep up with them and that’s something we’ve got to learn,” Ganes said.
One night after combining for 34 kills, Burkert and junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia were held to just ten and six kills, respectively. The duo also tallied 12 combined attack errors.
The Flyers’ sophomore middle back, Isolde Hannan, had a rare double-double with 13 kills and 11 blocking assists, leading the match in both categories. As a team Dayton hit .388 against Temple’s .035, which included 24 attack errors.
“They blocked my tips which really sucks,” Burkert said. “It went so fast it was hard to do anything.”
“It’s not easy to play against Dayton just because it’s a good team,” Ganes said. “It’s not just because they’re so big and physical, they can actually play.”
The Owls have a week to regroup before the head to La Salle to kick off a five-game road swing. They’re hoping this game is just a hiccup in the road of what’s still been an overachieving season.
“What we said when we were walking back to the lockers, ‘That’s the only game we’re losing this season,’” Iacobini said. “And I completely believe in that and I know that we can beat every single team in the conference.”
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