by David F.P.  9-20-08 [Modest Image Gallery]

For the Cornell Big Red and Temple Owls, neither side had the home court, but did have some devoted fans in the crowd when the two met Gampel Pavilion amidst the UConn Toyota Classic. The two teams were running nearly even as Set 1 was wrapping up but Temple started to pull away thanks to Yun Yi Zhang’s kill and Jacqueline Cowden & Caitlin Loudon’s block. Cornell’s Erin McCarthy responded to bring her team back within 2, but Loudon unleashed another shot.Cornell’s Kelly Hansen and Juliana Rogers had a big block on the next play, but a pair of Big Red errors had the Owls winning 25-21. Temple 1, Cornell 0.

In set 2, Cornell got out to a 5-10 lead thanks to some temple errors as well as 2 aces from Megan Mushovic including a precision serve just in bounds.Meagan Tatum had two straight kills, and Hilary Holland knocked one of the defense and outside the lines as well.During the run Emily Borman received a good set which she smashed into the Temple zone. Rogers followed that up with a cross court smash for the tenth point.Temple’s points came from Loudon with a shot just in bounds, a Zhang block, a Zhang and Temple? Block, and smattering of Cornell attack errors. Temple called a time out at 5-10.

When play resumed, Cornell picked up a pint, though Temple had a pair including a Ashley Carr kill.Cornell had the next point on a Temple net violation and it was 7-12. The teams proceeded to trade points back and forth, including a Rogers sideways put over off the defense, another Carr kill, Hansen & Rogers with the big block, and Cayleigh Ashman using a good set to smash one to the Big Red corner and the score 10-14.

Cornell started to pull away off Temple being unable to return a few balls, but also committed a net error of their own. With the score 11-16, Mushovic had a really good dig on the exchange, and eventually teammate Borman tipped an attack over. The scoring went back and forth again off a Cornell error, but Cornell 8 found a gap to slam her attack into, though Zhang had a massive spike in response.Following that, Borman and Holland delivered a block to put their team up 13-19.

Temple roared back with 3 points of Loudon hammering an attack in, Ashman’s smash, and Ariel Pierre picking up the ace when her serve bounced off the defense and out. It was 16-19, but Alessa Cekauskas responded with a kill, Temple scored right afterward when a kill was knocked off the red and white and out. A time out followed, but Rogers and Tatum unleashed a pair of kills to put their team with 3 of victory. Ashman’s spike flew into a gap in the defense to put the Owls back within 4, but Tatum knocked one of the blockers, and a Temple error made the score 18-24.

With Cornell needing just one more point to get the set win, Ashman? Scored a kill, and her teammate Cowden tapped through a block to make it 20-24.On the next back and forth though Cornell finished the set off. 20-25.

Temple 1, Cornell 1

Set 3 began with both teams battling to a 7-7 score.Tatum smashed several kills off the Temple defense, Hansen slammed one through the block, and Borman picked up a point on a tap over as well. Temple picked up scores on several Cornell errors, but also on a kill from Jackie Morrrison?, a hammer shot from Ashman, and an ace from her as well.

Temple began to pull away off a kill of Cowden, a tandem block from Cowden and Loudon, and another smash from Cowden. Cornell called a time out down by 3, and Rogers came out of the play stoppage with an attack to make it 10-8. The Owls went on an 8-4 run including another Cowden smash, Ashman knocking a blast just in bounds, another Ashman kill of the block, and yet another huge smash, and another. She then delivered an Ace, though teammate Zhang got in on the well when she slammed one of the defense’s dig attempt for the 18^th point.Cornell’s points came from Cekauskas whapping one through the block, as well as a Rogers’s precision shot to the defense’s left corner, Cekauskas and Hansen’s block, and Cekauskas sending an attack over which flew off the defender’s hands and way out of bounds. With the set at 18-12 the Big Red called a time out.

Temple responded with a 3-1 run. Zhang tipped one to the gap, though her team spiked out of bounds to hand Cornell a point, but Morrison used a set to send a ball cross court, and Cowden and Temple 8 came up with a big block.Another Temple error put Cornell down by 7, 21-14, but the Owls were getting closer.

Loudon spiked one over, though Borman responded for her team with a kill of her own. The Big Red blocked an attack out of bounds to give Temple another point, but Rogers’s kill and a Temple attack error made it 23-17. Ashman? scored the 24^th pointwith her kill, but Kathryn Woodbury found a gap in the Owls defense to send a kill in. With it 24-18 however, the Big Red committed a four hit error and Temple won the set 25-18. Temple 2, Cornell 1.

Set 4 was a much more back and forth battle all the way to the 17^th point. Temple scored first, but a Cekauskas spike off the block tied it up.Temple scored again on an error, but Tatum knocked one off the block to tie it up again.Zhang responded with an attack just in bounds, but an error on the Owls part tied the score again.Zhang blasted an attack over, and scored again, but Borman’s kill kept the Big Red within one.

Cowden had a spike, to extend the lead, though a serve out of bounds by the Owls kept the lead at 1.Loudon and Cowden’s block and a Cornell spike out of bounds put the lead a 3, but the Red roared back off two Temple four hit errors and a Rogers kill. It was now 8-8.

Cornell then took the lead when Hansen & Rogers blocked one, but Ashman spiked one in to tie it back up. A Cornell two hit error put the Owls back up and Anissa Whitney added to the lead with an attack, but Cornell came right back off an Owl serve into the net, a Hansen block, and a Hansen/Tatum block as well.A spike into the net by the Big Red tied it back up 12-12.

The hustle continued with Ashman & Zhang’s block, but Tatum pounded a kill in.Temple responded with two kills, including Zhang hitting one through the D.Borman halved the Temple lead with a tap over, but Zhang responded with a kill. McCarthy scored for the Big Red, and another Cornell point tied it up.They kept going when Cornell faked a set and smashed a shot over the net.Temple called a time out, and emerged from it with Zhang delivering a big time slam. Borman regained the lead with her kill, but Loudon and Cowden’s block tied it up at 18.

The Temple Owls started to roll with a Pierre Ace, Loudon kill, and another point to take a 3 point lead 21-18.Cornell called a time out to regroup.A Temple attack error got the lead back to 2, but Cornell’s own error put the lead back at 3 with very little breathing room available. Rogers sent one over to put her team back within 2, but the red and white committed a pair of errors to put Temple ahead 24-20.With the set on the line it was, not surprisingly, Zhang with the kill. 25-20.

Temple 3, Cornell 1.

(Roster’s supplied by UConn Sports Information.  Currently this has not been verified against play by play.)