Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Fairfield University volleyball team concluded play at the Temple Invitational with a tough 3-0 (11-25, 20-25, 13-25) loss to the host Owls this evening. The Stags fall to 2-4 on the season while Temple, the Atlantic-10 East favorites, improves to 2-2. 

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) and junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) each had a team-high five kills on the night.  Mann was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn./Mabel-Canton) and sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) each had nine digs while senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) chipped in with eight digs. Higa received an All-Tournament Team honorable mention.

Setter Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) had 13 assists and six digs.

Temple out-blocked Fairfield 12-2 while stifling the Stags attack. Fairfield hit -.029 with 19 kills while the Owls hit .337 with 44 kills.

For the Owls, Yun Yi Zhang recorded 16 kills while Jacqueline Cowden notched 11 kills and seven total blocks.

Temple came out in full force in the first set, opening up a 7-1 lead. The Owls continued to push, going up by as much as 14 points.

In the second set, Fairfield battled back from an early four-point deficit to pull ahead 10-8. After battling back and forth with Temple, Mann gave the Stags a 15-13 with a kill. The Owls, however, went on a 4-0 run to regain the lead. Temple extended the lead to 20-17, but the Stags were able to cut the gap to 20-19 on a kill by Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest). The Owls were able to stave off the Stags for the win.

The third set was close early, but with the scored tied 7-7, Temple went on an 8-0 run and would not relinquish the lead.

Fairfield will play in its final tournament next weekend when the Stags head to the Northern Illinois Invitational. Fairfield will face Bradley and Loyola-Chicago on Sept. 12 and Towson and Northern Illinois on Sept. 13.