Temple volleyball breezes through tournament

The Temple volleyball team has been killing opponents as of late. During last weekend’s Temple Invitational, the host Owls (6-2) swept the field winning all four of their matches thanks to a slew of kills

The Temple volleyball team has been killing opponents as of late.

During last weekend’s Temple Invitational, the host Owls (6-2) swept the field winning all four of their matches thanks to a slew of kills courtesy of sophomore middle blocker Margaret Majewska and junior outside hitter Sara Stone.

Both recorded 52 kills during the two-day event.

The Owls swept Villanova, Lehigh, St. Peter’s and Delaware Universities, each three games to none.

“We just had everything together,” Stone said.

With the exception of defensive positioning, according to Temple’s coach.

“We’re not getting into defensive positions quickly enough,” said Coach Bob Bertucci. “I don’t think our players were prepared and expecting the ball. They were going through the motions instead of expecting that a ball is coming to me.”

Digging, passing and kills propelled the Owls through the competition. Another contributing factor to the recent success is junior setter Solana Lee who quarterbacked the team throughout the weekend.

Lee is the team’s top setter. She made countless quick decisions, keeping the direction of her sets unknown to the opposing team.

“Her set selection was very good,” Bertucci said. “She is beginning to run the offense better and calling better plays.”

Lee rarely caught a breather during the tournament but was well prepared and conditioned.

“My passing was working well,” Lee said. “I was able to run the offense away from the blockers, and our hitters were great, which made my job easier.”

Freshman Alison Runk has also started to make an impact on the court as she was used mostly in tight situations.

“Runk is coming along well,” Bertucci said. “Today she played the role of defensive specialist. She has a great jump serve and is becoming a good setter. We’ll move her along slowly to give her some experience.”

Hard work, team play and fundamentals have jump started the Owls season but communication seems to be what links this team together. Having already spent several weeks together in China the women have a tight bond with each other both on and off the court.

“We’re a lot tighter than we’ve ever been,” Lee said. “Our communication hasn’t been this good in a long time. We’ve always had a lack of communication and now it’s adding spice to our offense and making the game flow. It fires us up.”

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