The Owls lost 3-1 to the Cincinnati on the road in Cincinnati, Ohio Friday night.
After the Bearcats won the first set, 25-21, the Owls (16-7, 7-4 American Athletic Conference) rebounded and won the second set, 25-23.
In the third set, the Owls gained an early 13-7 lead. Cincinnati then used a 5-1 run later in the set to bring the score to 19-16. The Bearcats then used a 7-1 run to take a 24-22 lead and win the set, 25-23.
“It was frustrating,” coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “You get control, and then suddenly you’re not winning.”
Cincinnati closed the game out in the fourth set with a 25-15 victory. After beginning conference play 4-0, the Owls have lost four of their last seven games.
The Owls defeated Cincinnati 3-1 when the two teams last met Oct. 4.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Ganesharatnam said. “Although we beat them a couple weeks ago, they played great.”
Ganesharatnam credited Cincinnati freshman outside hitter Jordan Thompson as the difference maker in Friday’s game. Thompson had a game-high 21 kills and her 37.8 hitting percentage was a team-high.
“She’s a tremendous player,” Ganesharatnam said. “She gets better and better. We tried to slow down Cincinnati, but we couldn’t capitalize on some of the offense we started.”
Three players recorded double-figures in kills for Temple, led by sophomore outside hitter Irem Asci—who recorded 13 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Izzy Rapacz had11 kills, while junior outside hitter Tyler Davis added 10.
David Block can be reached at david.block@temple.edu
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