Box Score

PHILADELPHIA—Temple defeated visiting NJIT, 3-0, Wednesday evening in women's volleyball non-conference action at McGongle Hall.

The Owls, who improve to 7-4 on the season took the Highlanders in straight sets – 25-20, 25-19, 25-21.  NJIT falls to 5-6 on the season, winning its last three matches and capturing the 2012 Rose Hill Classic title hosted by Fordham last weekend.

Temple was led by two players – Elyse Burkert, reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week and Gabriella Matautia with 12 kills apiece.  Jingyu Zhang added nine kills for the home team.

Setter Tinnay Connatser just missed recording a double-double collecting 41 assists and nine digs.  Temple's Chelsea Tupuola dug-up a team-high 20 digs followed by 19 from Burket.

For the Highlanders, senior outside hitter Janet Snell was the lone player to tally double-digit kills, sharing match-high honors with Burket and Matautia with 12.  Sophomore Camilla Tinari was one-kill shy double-digit kills, notching nine.  Three different Highlanders added five kills.

NJIT setters Anna Mercado and Barbara Perru combined for 31 assists and 11 digs.  Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Renata Pandolfo set a new personal and match-best registering 34 digs for the Highlanders.  Pandolfo has now posted double-digit digs in 10-out-of-11 matches for the Highlanders.

Every set of the match was close between the two teams, with the first set seeing nine ties, the last at 19-19 before the Owls pulled away. They scored six of the final seven points, closing the set on a kill by Matautia for a 25-20 victory.

In the second set, seven more ties followed and once again the final tie came at 19-19.  The Highlanders had held a two-point lead, 19-17, before the Owls tied the set and went on to win without dropping another point. Temple's Tupuola served the final seven points, and Matautia recorded three straight kills to take Temple from a 19-17 deficit to a 20-19 lead guiding Temple to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Highlanders opened up the third set, 4-3 before Jennifer Iacobini served during a 5-0 run to give Temple an 8-4 lead. NJIT rallied towards the end to come within three points, 22-19, on a kill by Cathy Leung after being down by as many as six.  Temple scored the last three points of the set for a 25-21 victory.

NJIT will return to action this weekend at the Blackbird Invitational hosted by LIU Brooklyn.  The Highlanders will open up the tournament on Friday vs. LIU Brooklyn at 530pm and play Maryland and St. John's on Saturday.

Play-by-Play courtesy Temple Media Relations