Temple Volleyball (3-4, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) took the Cherry and White Invitational by storm last weekend, rolling to a 3-0 record and dropping just one set. The Owls ended the weekend on a low note, being swept by Penn State to put a sour taste on the otherwise sweet start.
Temple looked to recapture the early spark when they traveled to South Carolina for the Gamecock Invitational. Instead, they continued their losing ways and won just a single set in the first three games.
Temple had a chance to end the drought against Presbyterian on Sunday but collapsed and will now travel back to North Broad Street on a four-game losing streak.
FRIDAY: Temple falls 3-0 to South Carolina
Temple’s first matchup on the weekend pitted them against South Carolina (4-1, 0-0 SEC). The Gamecocks quickly took the upper hand, going up 6-3 in the first set and never looked back in their 3-0 thumping of the Owls.
Temple was able to battle back to tie the game at six apiece, but South Carolina kept its stranglehold on the lead for the entire first set to take a 1-0 lead. To start the second set, Temple jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but never led again after South Carolina tied the game up and pushed its way to a 25-17 win.
The Owls had their back against the wall and attempted to salvage a comeback attempt in their first game that weekend. Their desperation seemed to show on the court when they took a 4-0 lead right away, prompting South Carolina head coach Tom Mendoza to call a timeout.
The Gamecocks retooled after the stoppage and sprinted to an 11-3 run, gaining the upper hand yet again to take a four-point lead. A kill by Temple right-side hitter Avery Luoma cut their deficit to three but the Owls were blindsided by five unanswered South Carolina points.
Temple was hanging by a thread, and it eventually snapped as South Carolina delivered the knockout blow in the form of a 7-4 run to take both the set and match.
Temple outside hitter and South Carolina native Taylor Davenport put on a show in her home state with a team-high 16 kills. No other Owl provided the same performance, as the second-highest attacker was outside hitter Christiana Green with just five kills on the afternoon.
SATURDAY: Temple falls 3-1 to North Carolina
Temple hoped to salvage the tournament against undefeated North Carolina (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) after losing to South Carolina to open the weekend. Temple kept the match close throughout and even stole a set, but it was the Tar Heels who left the gym victorious.
UNC got off to a hot start in the first set, going up 3-1. The Tar Heels took a 9-5 lead and looked to be pulling away, but the Owls responded with four straight points to tie the set. The two teams traded blows the rest of the way, but North Carolina got the upper hand and eventually pulled away to take the first set 25-22.
The Owls came back with a vengeance in the second set with an early 9-2 run, to take a commanding 11-7 lead. Temple kept the lead for most of the second set until North Carolina erupted, scoring four of the last five points to win the set 28-26 in a thriller.
Needing to win to stay alive, the Owls got off to a much-needed lead, going up 12-6. However, North Carolina fought back, pulling the set within one. But Temple wasn’t deterred by the comeback, as they extended their lead and won the third set 25-20.
The fourth set remained close with both sides exchanging points throughout and neither team could pull away. A Tar Heel timeout helped them gain momentum with a 7-0 run to take a 23-19 lead. The Owls kept fighting, but it was too late, as North Carolina picked up the victory 25-21.
Saturday’s standouts were similar to Friday’s, as Davenport and outside hitter Sydney Jones led the team in kills with 13 and 11 respectively. Setter Lexi Yoza also impressed with 37 assists.
SUNDAY: Temple falls 3-2 to Presbyterian
Temple looked to put an end to their three-match losing streak against lowly Presbyterian (2-5, 0-0 Big South Conference). The Blue Hose came into the matchup looking to snap their four-game losing streak. Both teams battled to a five-set thriller, but it was Presbyterian who came away with the victory when the dust settled.
The first set, like the four that followed, was tight, with both teams staying within just a few points of each other all day. Temple was able to go on a four-point run to put the score at 8-4, giving the Owls a small lead. However, a late Blue Hose comeback fueled by strong defense and accuracy allowed them to take the first set 27-25.
An early six-point run in the second set put the Owls in the driver’s seat. Unlike the first set, Temple was able to maintain the lead for the rest of the way and cruised to a 25-13 win.
The third set was the closest thus far and neither side was able to pull away. After a back-and-forth set, a final three-point run gave the Blue Hose the 29-27 victory. Despite Temple reaching 25 points in all three sets, they found themselves down 2-1.
The Owls once again found themselves with an early lead in the fourth set, but the Blue House didn’t go down without a fight. They used a 7-1 run to tie the set at 16 before defensive specialist Nalani McBride had three straight aces to boost the Owls to win the set.
However, the good vibes ended there and Temple was unable to put Presbyterian away. The Owls took a 10-7 lead and looked to be in control, but they fell apart and the Blue Hose took full advantage. They went on a 10-5 run to seal the deal, taking the winner-take-all set 17-15.
Temple impressed on the stat sheet, tallying more kills, blocks and aces than Presbyterian. Davenport made her presence felt by tying a school record for the most kills in a single match with 33.
Temple will look to end its losing streak when they travel to face Texas A&M (4-0, 0-0 SEC) on Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
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