Temple entered the 2024 season with high hopes following a historic 2023 season that ended with its most wins in six years. Head coach Linda Hampton-Keith had improved the Owls’ record in her first two seasons and hoped this year’s team would take yet another step forward.
Instead, Temple finished the season with a disappointing 14-16 record and went just 6-10 in American Athletic Conference matches, missing the conference tournament once again. The Owls were on the doorstep of the tournament after finishing the season tied for eighth in the conference and only missed out due to a tiebreaker rule.
“It’s hard because obviously we’re as coaches and as a program, you’re always going to be judged by your win-loss record,” Hampton-Keith said. “Did we take a step back in the win-loss column compared to last year? Yes. Are we a much better volleyball program than last year? Absolutely.”
The Owls’ season was full of ups and downs as the team struggled to remain consistent throughout the year. They showed potential in big conference wins but also fell short against beatable opponents. The final result was a losing record and another season without a conference tournament appearance.
Temple began the season with three straight wins before losing its next five matches. However, four of the losses came against powerhouse programs like Penn State, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas A&M.
Temple finished off its non-conference slate winning three of its last four matches which provided hope ahead of AAC matches. However, the Owls didn’t carry their momentum into conference play as they lost their first three matches.
Temple picked up its first conference win against FAU on Oct. 6 before faltering again. The Owls lost their next three AAC matchups to start conference play with a poor 1-6 record.
Temple remained competitive despite the string of tough losses. The Owls finished the season by winning three of their final four matches to keep their postseason hopes alive until the very end. Their demise ultimately came down to an error-prone offense and late collapses in matches.
“I think consistency is really the thing that we struggled with the most and it showed up,” said right-side hitter Avery Luoma. “We needed one or two points to win matches and that was the difference, but throughout the season, we got better at that definitely.”
Despite finishing third in the AAC in kills per set, the Owls finished the season with the fifth most attacking errors and a poor .203 hitting percentage. That sloppiness often caused Temple to throw away leads late in matches.
Temple held a lead as large as five points in the first and second sets in its matchup against Rice on Oct. 17 but could not hold onto its momentum and were swept. A similar scenario unfolded in Temple’s second to last match of the season when it lost a five-set thriller to ECU on Nov. 15. The Owls entered the fourth set of the match in total control with a 2-1 lead but were blown out in both the fourth and fifth sets.
Despite not meeting their goals, the Owls’ season wasn’t all negative. Outside hitters Taylor Davenport and Sydney Jones were first and third in the conference in kills per set, respectively. Davenport was named to the AAC First Team and Jones was named to the AAC Second Team as well as AAC Freshman of the Year for her impressive play.
The Owls will enter next season with a young roster with six players running out of eligibility. Temple will only have three returning seniors next season but there are still a lot of reasons to feel optimistic about the years to come, said setter Lexi Yoza.
“We’re losing a lot of players, a lot of really strong leadership, a lot of our close friends too, it’s really tough,” Yoza said. “But we’re gonna have a lot of young freshmen, I’m excited to see what they do.”
Although Temple is losing a lot of long-tenure talent, Hampton-Keith’s goals and vision won’t change. The 2024 season did not result in the tangible success the team was looking for, but there is a lot to build on and the program’s future remains very bright, Hampton Keith said.
“[Our goal for next season is] if there’s a conference tournament, no matter how many people they’re taking, that we make that conference tournament,” Hampton-Keith said. “Yes, there’s disappointment, but also fuel for the spring and the most tremendous hope that we’ve had yet since I’ve gotten here.”
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