PHILADELPHIA – Temple volleyball returns to McGonigle Hall this Friday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 27, for American Athletic Conference play against UTSA and Rice. The Owls face the Roadrunners on Friday at 6 p.m. Two days later, Temple will face Rice in a 1 p.m. match. Both games will be available on ESPN+.

Scouting Temple

• Last break, newbie Sydney Jones led the Owls with her seventh double-double of the season, recording a game-high 24 kills and 11 digs. The Owls improved to 10-12 overall this season with a 27-26, 26-24, 22-25, 25-18 win. PhD student Taylor Davenport She tallied 19 kills, four shy of No. 7 all-time in school history and as a sophomore Lexi Yoza provided 52 assists, one shy of her career high.
• Davenport leads the AAC in three offensive categories this season, including points (375.6), points per set (4.94) and kills (323). The Columbia, S.C. native is also second with 4.25 kills per set.
• As a first-year player, Jones is one of the best offensive players in the conference. The Havertown, Pennsylvania native is third in aces per set with 0.43, third with 3.54 kills per set, seventh with 223 kills, three with 4.08 points per set and seventh with 257 total points.
• In conference play, the Owls rank second among seniors with 2.20 blocks per set Chelci banks Ranked eighth in the AAC with an average of 1.00 blocks per set and ranked first with 12 solo blocks.

SCOUTING UTSA

• The Roadrunners enter the weekend at 7-14 overall, 1-7 in conference play, one spot behind Temple and in 12th place in the American Athletic Conference.
• UTSA’s offense is led by Mia Soerensen’s 207 kills and Sokol’s 356 assists. Sorensen also holds down the other side of the net with 73 blocks, while Aleah Giroux has accounted for 281 digs this season.
• The Roadrunners enter the weekend at 1-1 with a loss to Tulsa and a win against UAB. The weekend started strong with a 3-0 victory over the Blazers and their first conference win of the season. Two sophomores led the team on both sides of the net, with Peyton Turner notching 15 digs and Bailey notching 12 kills. The result was the opposite on Sunday as UTSA lost in three sets to the Golden Hurricane. The freshmen continue to contribute for the Roadrunners as Morgen Durgens, a freshman, had 13 assists on the night.

HISTORY AGAINST UTSA

• The Owls won the first meeting between the two teams in a five-set match in Texas. This will be the first game between the two teams at McGonigle Hall.

Looking for rice

• Rice is in second place in the American Athletic Conference and enters the weekend at 11-6 overall and 6-2 in the conference. They face Tulane on Friday before their game against the Owls.
• Cindy Tchouangwa and Samarah Hill led the Rice offense with 195 and 173 kills, respectively. Freshman setter Savannah Skopal leads the assist column with 549 assists. Their net is protected by Lademi Ogunlana and Kaitlyn Knobbe with over 45 blocks each.
• Rice lost its second straight conference game after a 3-0 loss to Fla. Atlantic. The offense failed to take off as only one Rice player recorded double-digit kills (Knobbe, 14). Skopal continued to provide 22 assists on the night.

HISTORY AGAINST RICE

• The Cherry and White are tied 1-1 in the series with Rice. Their first meeting took place in 1997. This is only the second time Temple has faced Rice since joining the AAC.

NEXT

The Owls travel to Tampa on November 1 to take on the AAC leaders South Florida Bulls.

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