Volleyball Hosts Hilton Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge This Weekend

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple volleyball team hosts the 2016 Hilton Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge this weekend at McGonigle Hall. Temple welcomes Cleveland State, the University of New Hampshire, and Rutgers University for the two-day event.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, September 9
   3:30 pm - Rutgers vs. UNH
   6:00 pm - Temple vs. Cleveland State

Saturday, September 10
   10:00 am - Temple vs. UNH
   12:00 pm - Rutgers vs. Cleveland State
   4:00 pm - UNH vs. Cleveland State
   6:00 pm - Temple vs. Rutgers

FIERCE COMPETITION
The tournament features three teams that had 20 or more wins in 2015 (Temple, Cleveland State, UNH), two 2015 NCAA Tournament teams (Cleveland State, UNH), and a Power-5 conference team (Rutgers).

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA 3, TEMPLE 1
   Temple fell 3-1 to the University of Alabama on Saturday at the Puerto Rico Clasico. The Owls grabbed the second-set, but overall fell 25-15, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, to move to 2-2 on the season.
   The Owls were out-hit by the Crimson Tide, .255 to .199, but kept each set close, falling by four or less points in three of the four sets.
   Individually, junior Irem Asci led the Owls with 16 kills, also adding 19 digs for her second-straight double-double. Classmate Izzy Rapacz added 12 kills and five blocks, while senior Kirsten Overton had seven kills and four blocks. Junior Kyra Coundourides notched 42 assists, while junior Dara Peric (8 digs), and sophomores Mia Heirakuji (8 digs), and Iva Deak (5 blocks) rounded out the Temple leaders.

LAST TIME OUT: VIRGINIA TECH 3, TEMPLE 2
   The Owls lost a heart-breaking 3-2 match to Virginia Tech in the Owls' Puerto Rico Clasico opener last Friday night. The Hokies (4-1) handed Temple its first loss of the season, a 23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 16-14 nail biter.
   Individually for the Owls, Asci racked up 23 kills, adding 14 digs and two aces. Rapacz also notched a double-double, the first of her career, with 14 kills, 17 digs, also adding a career-best eight blocks. Coundourides topped her career-high wth 58 assists, also tallying 10 digs.

COACH GANESHARATNAM ON THE OWLS' LAST TIME OUT
"I'm really happy that we went to the Puerto Rico Tournament. I think we made a good impression, and it was good for exposure and from an RPI standpoint. It was also good because our kids got a lot better because of the great competition. And to be in two really close matches was great and will help us down the line. Overall, I'm proud of how we played, despite the heartbreaking loss. To come back from Friday night's 3-2 match and to compete with a really good Alabama team, one that had an All-American on the right side and an All-SEC player at outside, really shows our character. It could be a big moment in our season."

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
   Cleveland State, the defending Horizon League Champions and a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, enters this weekend's event with a 4-2 overall record. The Vikings have played in a pair of tournaments this season, going 2-1 at both.
   Cleveland State's offense is led by Grace Kauth who averages a team-best 3.91 kills per set, while also leading the team with 3.64 digs per frame. Alexi Middlebrooks (2.55 kills per set) and Sydney Mast (2.33 kills per set) also aid the Vikings' attack. Gina Kilner is the primary setter, distributing 10.00 assists per set, while also adding 2.36 digs per set. At the net, Middlebrooks and Aaliyah Slappy have combined for 47 total blocks, with Slappy leading the way with eight solo stops.

SCOUTING UNH
   UNH enters McGonigle Hall with a 3-4 overall record. After going 1-3 to open the season, the Wildcats have won two out of their last three, topping Siena and Boston College, both by 3-2 scores, but falling 3-0 to Bryant. UNH is the defending America East Champions, and made a trip to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
   The Wildcats are led by three players who average over 2.00 kills per set, Emily Tanski (2.70), Courtney Bowman (2.48), and Kennedi Smith (2.25). Keelin Severtson is the primary setter, averaging 10.00 assists per set, while leading the team with 11 total aces. Cabri Olhava tops the team with 15 total blocks, while Logan Welti (3.25) and Tanski (2.96) are the team's digs per set leaders.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
   Rutgers is 4-3 overall entering the tournament weekend. The Scarlet Knights started the season by going 3-1 at their own tournament, but have since lost two of three matches, most-recently a 3-2 heartbreaker at Yale.
   Rutgers is led by Meme Fletcher who averages 3.28 kills and 2.52 digs per set. Lauren Cloyd also bolsters the attack with 2.28 kills per frame. Megan Sharkey (5.52 assists per set) and Talia Holze (4.68) share setting responsibilities for the Knights. Defensively, Jasmine Stackhouse and Cloyd have each racked up 33 total blocks, while Karysa Swackenberg averages 3.24 digs per set.

OWLS VS. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
   Temple 28-12 combined against the tournament field, with the bulk of the matches coming against Rutgers. In the all-time series against the Scarlet Knight, the Owls have a 27-11 overall mark, with the teams splitting the season series 1-1 the last time they met (2013).
   The Owls are 1-1 all-time against Cleveland State, with their last meeting coming in 2006, a 3-2 Temple victory.
   Temple and UNH will be meeting for the first time in program history this weekend.

TEMPLE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
   Temple won the 2016 Sonesta Hotel Temple Invitational with a pair of victories last weekend. The Owls topped Northern Arizona, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, 3-1 on Friday, and then swept Hampton, 3-0, on Saturday.

TEMPLE PICKED TO FINISH SECOND
   Three Temple volleyball players earned American Athletic Conference pre-season honors, while the Owls were picked to finish second in a vote of the leagues' coaches. Temple's three selections -- senior Kirsten Overton, and juniors Irem Asci and Izzy Rapacz, were the most for any American squad.
   Temple earned two first-place votes in the coaches' poll, and finished in second place in the final tally with 88 points. The Owls ended last season in second place with a 15-5 conference mark and a 24-8 overall record and return three of their four All-Conference selections from 2015.

TWO TEMPLE MATCHES TO AIR ON AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK
   Two Temple volleyball matches will be part of the American Digital Network's 18-game fall schedule. The Owls will air live on ADN for matches against UCF (away) and SMU (home). ADN is covering a total of three volleyball matches this fall.

Live Stats | Video (vs. Cleveland State) | Video (vs. UNH) | Video (vs. Rutgers) | Tournament Notes (PDF)

Volleyball Hosts Hilton Penn's Landing Cherry & White Challenge This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Irem Asci

Kyra Coundourides

Iva Deak

Mia Heirakuji

Kirsten Overton

Dara Peric

Izabella Rapacz

Temple University Athletics