Coming off back-to-back 3-0 losses last weekend, Temple was looking for a rebound performance against East Carolina. Through the first two sets, it looked like the Owls were going to face the same fate and get swept for the third straight match.
The first two sets were close, with Temple falling by less than five points both times. The Owls came out fierce in the third set and gave the Pirates everything they had, hoping to extend the match.
The teams battled back and forth, and once ECU tied the set at 12 apiece, neither team could build a lead greater than one point. The Owls reached 25 points first but were unable to seal the deal, as the Pirates fought back and eventually took the set 28-26 which handed Temple its third straight loss.
Temple (8-12, 1-6 American Athletic Conference) fell to ECU (11-6, 4-3 AAC) 3-0 Friday night at Williams Arena. Temple has now lost 13 consecutive road games dating back to last season when they beat Charlotte 3-2 on Oct. 21, 2023.
East Carolina jumped to an early 4-1 lead to start the match, thanks to an ace by middle blocker Alecia Watson and three Temple errors. The Pirates looked comfortable as they extended their lead to nine with the score at 19-10. The Owls were forced to use both their timeouts, looking to avoid a one-set deficit.
Temple came out of the timeout with new life, erupting on a 10-3 run to bring its deficit down to 22-20. ECU used both of its timeouts to stop the bleeding and regain control of the match. Coming out of their timeouts the Pirates managed to slow down the Owls and take set one 25-21.
The second set saw a similar start to the previous set, with East Carolina coming out of the gate stronger. This time around Temple kept the score much closer. Both teams traded points, but it was East Carolina that went into the media break with a five-point advantage, leading the set 15-10.
Temple came out of the media timeout on fire, scoring four straight points to get the score within one. The Owls’ momentum quickly faded as the Pirates extended their lead back up to four. Temple refused to go down without a fight, scoring three straight on East Carolina’s set point before the Pirates eventually found the final point and took the set 25-22.
The Owls’ offense was the main reason for the team’s 2-0 hole, recording 10 attacking errors and a hitting percentage of just .132. Meanwhile, the Pirates were incredibly efficient, hitting .250 and committing just two attack errors.
Fueled by the energy of a commanding 2-0 lead, East Carolina was looking to complete the sweep and started the third set with a 4-1 lead. The Owls bounced back and went on a 7-2 run to take the lead at 12-10, their first lead of the night. Both teams were playing with high intensity and the set was tied 16 times with eight lead changes.
An ace by setter Lexi Yoza earned Temple its lead back at 19-18 and East Carolina head coach Adler Augustin called a timeout to try to take back control. Outside hitter Sydney Jones had two kills that gave Temple the set point, but East Carolina was able to respond both times.
Temple middle blocker Katie Hickey committed an attack error that put East Carolina at the match point. The Pirates put the final nail in the coffin with a kill by outside hitter Angeles Alderete to win the set 28-26 and the match 3-0.
Jones once again was Temple’s leading attacker with 16 kills, the only Owls to record more than 10. However, Jones also led the team in errors with eight. Temple overall fared worse than East Carolina, recording more errors, a worse hitting percentage, fewer kills and fewer blocks. Temple continued its struggles on the road and now have a 0-9 record away from North Broad Street.
Temple looks to get back on the right track when they return to McGonigle Hall to face Charlotte (4-16, 1-6 AAC) on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.
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