Volleyball Sweeps Tulsa for Fifth-Straight Victory

Friday, November 20

McGonigle Hall

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

22-8, 13-5American

Tulsa

13-16, 8-9American

Tulsa

Temple University

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Volleyball Sweeps Tulsa for Fifth-Straight Victory

11.20.15 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA -- Temple volleyball won its fifth-straight match, topping visiting Tulsa, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21), at McGonigle Hall on Friday night. The win clinches at least a share of second place for Temple, who moves to 22-8 overall, 13-5 in The American. Tulsa dips to 13-16, 8-9 in conference play.

Sophomore Irem Asci hammered 17 kills on the night, also adding nine digs, as Temple combined to hit .315 as a team. From the middle, junior Kirsten Overton notched 11 kills, hitting .381, while sophomore Janine Simmons had seven kills with just one error to hit .600. Sophomore Izzy Rapacz finished the night with nine kills, while junior Tyler Davis added five.

Senior Sandra Sydlik distributed the offense to the tune of 42 assists, while also adding two kills on two attempts. Senior Alyssa Drachslin headed up a defense that out-dug Tulsa 47-36, racking up a match-best 13 digs. Sophomore Dara Peric added 10 digs, while senior Kayla Yingling picked up eight.

Though Tulsa tied the first set three times, Temple did not relinquish the lead, as the Owls hit .341 in the frame. With the set tied 10-10, Temple grabbed the momentum with four-straight kills, two from Overton to take its largest lead at 14-10. Tulsa battled back to within two points at 17-15, but the Owls used a 6-1 run to take control at 23-16. After trading sideouts, Temple was able to put down the winner, as Overton collected her fifth kill of the set for a 25-18 victory.

Set two was the closest of the night, featuring 12 ties and seven lead changes. Tulsa jumped out to an early lead, as three-straight kills gave them a 5-2 advantage. Temple battled back to tie the set three times, before a 3-0 surge gave the Owls a 13-10 lead. Tulsa answered and the frame went back and forth until a late 20-20 tie. From there, Temple got kills from Rapacz and Simmons and used a Tulsa error to gain a slim 23-22 advantage. The Owls then closed out the set on a service error and an attack error from the visitors to take the set, 25-22.

The Owls wrapped up the match with a .343 hitting performance in the third frame. Tulsa grabbed the first two points of the set, but Temple quickly answered, using three-straight Drachslin aces to take a 5-2 lead. Tulsa battled back to make it 7-6, but the Owls went on a 7-1 run to open up a 14-7 advantage. Tulsa grabbed back-to-back points to make it 18-11, but Temple increased it's lead to 21-15 on an Asci kill. After the teams traded sideouts to make it 23-17, Tulsa mounted a comeback, scoring four-straight to make it 23-21. Temple was able to close things out, however, as kills from Overton and Asci sealed the set at 25-21, earning the Owls a sweep.

Temple returns to action for their home finale on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. hosting SMU. The Owls will celebrate Senior Day, honoring the four-member class of 2016 – Drachslin, Yingling, Sydlik, and Halle McCullough.

Box Score (PDF)