UConn defensive specialist Kennedy Arundel goes up for a serve during the a game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The team will square off against Temple (20-8, 11-5 American) on Wednesday in what is a battle for second place in the conference. (Allen Lang/The Daily Campus)
After sweeping the home stand over the weekend against Central Florida and South Florida, the UConn women’s volleyball team (16-11, 10-6 American) will square off against Temple (20-8, 11-5 American), in what is a battle for second place in the conference. Temple and UConn both come into the matchup scorching hot, riding three-game winning streaks.
In their first matchup on Oct. 14, UConn won a five-set thriller at Gampel. This victory started UConn’s midseason turn around, as it was the start of the Huskies’ six-game conference winning streak.
Leading the team that day for UConn was sophomore Kenya Cason, who recorded her sixth double-double (16 kills, 13 digs) of the season and junior Jade Strawberry, who notched her fifth double-double with 17 digs and 11 kills.
Heading into that day, the Huskies had a record of 7-10 overall as they came in losers of eight of 10 while Temple boasted a record of 14-4. This matchup will be their fourth matchup since 2013, with the Huskies holding a 2-1 advantage overall.
The second matchup between the teams will be much different, as the Owls post a magnificent home record of 12-3. Like the Huskies, the Owls are much better at home, with losses only to Oregon, Villanova and Houston. Villanova is No. 44 in the country with a record of 22-7 while Oregon is No. 53. UConn is currently No. 124 overall, compared to conference leading SMU who is No. 25 and the Owls who are No. 90.
Temple boats a conference best hitting percentage at .262, compared to UConn who sits in fifth. The Owls are second in opponent hitting percentage and assists as well as first in total kills. Leading the way for Temple is junior Kristen Overton, who leads the conference with an impressive .414 hitting percentage. Joining her is senior Sandra Sydlik who is fifth in the conference in service aces and second overall in assists.
The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Matt Kren is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn volleyball. He can be reached via email at matthew.kren@uconn.edu.
