After winning the final two games of the Black Knight Invitational at West Point, Temple University volleyball is evidently seeing progress under new head coach Linda Hampton-Keith.
The former North Carolina State University coach has shifted parts around the lineup, building a solid foundation for her players to build on. Hampton-Keith is not afraid to make changes to the program, and it has helped the Owls get off to a 4-4 record, well on their way to surpassing the poor 7-24 record they finished with last season
“My main focus is to focus on developing the culture, developing the expectations and then hopefully helping all of our athletes maximize their potential right now,” Hampton-Keith said. “Our main goal is to keep getting better every weekend, we want to go into November and December being the best team that we can.”
Temple volleyball only won three games in conference play last season. Since then, they have made changes like bringing in a new coach and new players to help them improve from the previous year. This season, Temple has shown that they have the resilience to pull away with close wins that eluded them last season.
Junior outside hitter Jelena Prolic is a transfer from Coastal Carolina University and has been an important part of this year’s team, leading the team in kills with 19 in the win against the University of Delaware (4-4, 0-0 The Colonial Athletic Association).
“I can help this team in those moments and show how to win and what is necessary to step up in hard situations,” Prolic said. “I definitely see that we can go far and change a lot compared to last season.”
Prolic is second on the team in kills, points and digs with 98 kills, 110.0 points and 73 digs through eight games so far this season. She has already surpassed her total of 57 kills last season at Coastal Carolina and has also made plays in key rallies late in sets, creating point wins in unlikely scenarios.
The Owls have a 4-4 record so far with a key 3-2 victory coming against Delaware in the Cherry and White Challenge. They were also able to pick up wins against Army (4-6, 0-0 The Patriot League) in a 3-1 set victory, St. Francis Brooklyn College (5-6, 0-0 The Northeast Conference) in a 3-2 set victory and Cornell University (2-4, 0-0 The Ivy League) in a 3-2 set win.
The Owls have been challenged early in the season with two of their wins coming in close five-set matches that went down to the wire.
“The Army win was great, but then to turn around and gut out a five-set match against a really gritty and scrappy St. Francis team, it would’ve been easy to lay down and die,” Hampton-Keith said. “We really showed ourselves that we have what it takes to dig deep and keep going.”
Sophomore middle hitter Taylor Davenport started in 30 of Temple’s 31 matches last season as a middle blocker and finished fourth in the American Athletic Conference in blocks with 126. She also led the Owls last season in blocks per set with 1.14 and tied for third on the team with the most kills during the season with 150.
This year, Davenport is at a new position – middle hitter. She has shined in her first eight games, recording a team-high 129 kills during that span. Although she has been a force for the Owls, Davenport is still trying to adapt since switching positions.
“Switching from outside to middle is a whole new world,” Davenport said. “I just want to be a better hitter for my team.”
So far, the Owls have improved their offense and defense at the net, going from 11.8 kills per set in 2021 to 12.0 this season. They’ve also lowered their opponents’ kills per set to 12.6 compared to 14.1 last season.
With a new head coach and changes throughout the team, Temple volleyball is maintaining high expectations going into conference play beginning on Sept. 23 in Kansas against Wichita State University (4-5, 0-0 The American Athletic Conference).
“We’ve showed a lot of fight, we’ve been down a lot of games and came back and won,” Davenport said. “That’s a testament to our character and unrelenting effort and ability to keep going.”
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