Temple loses first five-set match of the season

Written by: Declan Landis

Photo by: Temple Athletics

The Pirates’ third set proves to be too much for the Owls as ECU won 3-2

As head coach Linda Hampton-Keith called her first timeout of the third set, her team walked into the huddle looking stunned. Despite outplaying East Carolina for most of the match, their 12-3 lead at the beginning of the set had vanished out of nowhere, and they now faced a two point deficit.

The Owls were outscored 23-8 in set three after being up 11-2, a run that impacted both the energy and momentum of the match.

Though they battled back in set four, Temple lost its first five-set match of the season to ECU in McGonigle Hall, dropping to 1-4 in AAC play.

“I liked the way we responded,” Hampton-Keith said. “We came back in set four and pushed it to five which we like to see. I think it’s just part of our maturity and growth process of being able to sustain a lead like that and be able to take care of sets when we have the opportunity.”

Falanika Danielson, the starting libero, earned 17 digs on the night, including her 1000th career dig in the third set.

Temple played well for much of the match, particularly offensively. The Owls, who have struggled with attacking this season, registered 72 kills compared to ECU’s 54. Temple’s Jelena Prolic led the game with 24 kills, coupled with 11 digs, while Taylor Davenport (17) and Peyton Boyd (15) were right behind her statistically.

Mistakes, though, were a key part of the loss. The Owls struggled with consistency and communicating on the court, at times letting the ball drop between staring players.

“A lot of it is just demeanor,” Hampton-Keith said. “We try to empower every athlete on the floor to go and make a play on the ball. We live and we learn.”

Junior middle blocker Kayla Spells, one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, echoed Hampton-Keith.

“We’re just focusing on playing our game,” Spells said. “A lot of times, we can get wrapped up in what other teams are doing. It’s important that we just stay with our game and take care of the little details: getting the pass right, getting the set right, getting our location right.”

Rather than dwell on the loss, Danielson said the team is assessing what they need to work on and moving forward.

“We each have a goal for what we want to work on in practice tomorrow,” Danielson said, “and how we can carry that forward from this game. We want to figure out how not to take the energy we had in this game into the game against Cincinnati. I think we totally have that in us.”

Temple takes on 3-11 (1-3 in the AAC) Cincinnati Friday in McGonigle Hall. There, they will try to surpass their win total from last year with their eighth win.