Temple Volleyball made history in head coach Linda Hampton-Keith’s third season and exceeded everyone’s expectations. The Owls opened the 2023 season on a five-game win streak and finished the year with a 17-14 record, marking the most wins the program racked up since 2017.
The Owls hosted the first-ever volleyball game at The Liacouras Center against nationally ranked Penn State on Nov. 8, 2023. The Nittany Lions swept the Owls, but the opportunity to play at the university’s largest venue signified just how much growth the program has seen in recent years.
“It was really cool to have so much support from the school and just having a big student body there,” said setter Lexi Yoza. “I think being able to play in front of a big audience like that does give you a lot of confidence. Especially going into this season, we’re playing a lot of bigger schools this year and I think that’s really exciting for us.”
Temple finally showed the American Athletic Conference what it can do in 2023, but it didn’t come without growing pains.
The Owls started last season strong, but they faltered as the season progressed. Temple won their first five matches but lost seven of their last nine games. Heading into the 2024 season, Temple is hoping to recreate that same early success and maintain it throughout the entire year.
They are already off to a good start after a 3-1 weekend that included sweeping the Cherry and White Invitational but falling to No. 7 Penn State.
One obstacle the Owls have to face is life without outside hitter Olivia Vance — a Toledo transfer who became one of Temple’s best players and gave them a strong front row hitter. Vance will be missed, but Temple prepared for the departure by bringing in six new hitters to create newfound depth.
“I think one of the biggest shifts you’ll see this year is our depth,” Hampton-Keith said. “I think the last few years we haven’t had a lot of depth, particularly in hitting positions, now we have that. The depth that we have is by far the best it’s been since I’ve been here.”
Key players Taylor Davenport, Avery Luoma and Chelci Banks all had the option to enter the transfer portal but decided to stay on North Broad. The three were crucial pieces to the team’s hot start last season, leading the team both offensively and defensively while being role models to younger players.
Davenport has been an Owl her entire collegiate career and now enters her last season of college eligibility. She has recorded more than 1,000 career kills during her time in McGonigle Hall, just the 22nd in school history to achieve that feat. The outside hitter has been in the top five in the AAC in kills for the past two years and was named to the 2024 AAC Preseason All-Conference Team, the first Owl to do so since 2021.
“That was really nice to get that award and also for our program to be getting some conference recognition,” Davenport said. “That was a big deal. A few years ago we weren’t getting as many conference awards, and it was great to see that I played a part in getting the conference recognition. We always talked about proving ourselves right versus people wrong and I feel like that was an example of that.”
Luoma is also back and enters her second year at Temple after spending four years at Princeton. The right-side hitter was essential to both the offense and defense last season, finishing second on the team in kills and digs. Luoma’s quiet demeanor and impressive game earned her the nickname “the silent assassin” from her teammates.
Banks, the last leg of the Owls’ “big three” is also back after leading the team with 114 total blocks last season while playing in every game.
“Let’s be honest, everybody has options now,” Hampton-Keith said. “So staying put isn’t necessarily the guarantee that it once was. So I don’t take for granted that we’ve had a lot of people stay in the program and return and anytime you have that you are just able to build so much faster.”
Temple retained its core but also improved around the edges of its roster. They brought in seven fresh faces to North Philly and immediately started brainstorming ways to get those new additions accustomed to the team. They checked that box before the preseason even began by traveling to Puerto Rico in June to play a couple of matches and really start to create off-court chemistry.
“We had a lot of key players leave and we’ll miss them but I also feel like we’re in a really good place right now,” Davenport said. “We are new but I feel like the Puerto Rico trip really helped us get acclimated to each other. We played a few games already, experienced some hard things, did some hard practices and just started that court chemistry that will carry us into this fall.”
The team is also stocking up on underclassmen to take the reins of the team when Davenport, Luoma and Banks graduate. Yoza and sophomore setter Ava Blascziek were the primary setters for the second half of last season and are expected to take on bigger roles this season.
Temple was picked to finish eighth out of 14 in the AAC Preseason Poll, but the Owls haven’t given the placement any attention. Hampton-Keith and her team have shown the program is heading in the right direction, and the Owls hope to continue that upward trajectory.
“I’m just really expecting us to just hopefully fulfill our potential,” Hampton-Keith said. “So wherever that lands us is great. I don’t want us to be defined by outcome and numbers of wins or losses. What I want us to be defined by is, have we made progress? That’s where I think we’re going to find success.”
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