By Tony Adams for Temple College
All five Temple College Athletics teams are back in action, with volleyball taking the main stage, and basketball, baseball and softball in fall training.
The volleyball team will host its home opener at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Coastal Bend College.
The match will be broadcast live on Playsight, with Tony Adams bringing play-by-play action.
Volleyball wins two, loses two at Western Texas College Invitational
Leopards Volleyball took part in the Western Texas College Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Snyder.
The tenacity and resilience of the Leopards took hold early in the tournament, as they faced host WTC in an early morning tilt on Friday.
The Leopards lost the first game by nine before rallying in games two and three to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Westerners put together a fierce comeback by scoring 40 of the next 58 points to take games four and five to win the match, 3-2.
The scores of the match were 25-16, 20-25, 17-25, 25-13, and 15-5.
Temple received several solid performances, with Haley Tucker having 36 attacks, 12 kills and five digs; Jordyn Carpenter adding 26 attacks, 10 digs and four aces; Nyla Lewis contributing 24 attacks; and Pauline Gonzales landing 17 digs.
After a break, the Leopards took on North Texas Junior College Athletic Association (NTJCAC) opponent Southwestern Christian College in a non-conference match.
The Leopards took their lessons learned from the WTC match and dominated the Rams early to pick up a three-game sweep.
The scores of the match were 25-22, 25-11, and 25-18.
The balanced attack of the Leopards was on display with six players that registered at least nine attacks each, with Morgan and Lexi Manning logging six kills. McKinley Cole had 16 assists and Libby Flores contributed 15 assists.
On Saturday, the Leopards took on No. 15 Blinn College in their opening match of the day.
The Buccaneers backed up their preseason ranking with a powerful performance in a sweep of the Leopards.
The scores of Saturday’s opener were 25-15, 25-14, and 25-10.
Tucker had 20 assists; Lewis added 19; Carpenter had 10 attacks and seven digs; Flores had 10 assists and six digs; and Cole added seven assists and six digs.
The final match of the tournament pitted the Leopards against Dallas College Mountain View.
Temple used a 92-attack performance, led by Carpenter’s 24 attacks and Tucker’s 22, to sweep the Lions in three games.
The scores of the matchup were 25-10, 25-16 and 25-21.
Flores assisted on 18 points; and Cole added 11 assists, 14 digs, and three aces. Carpenter had a team-high 11 kills and Tucker added nine.
Overall, for the tournament, the Leopards went 2-2 and took eight of 14 games played.
The trail ahead for the Leopards
Temple will host their first home match of the season as they take on the Coastal Bend College Cougars on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Coastal went 1-1 last week, defeating SWCC 3-1 and falling to Huston-Tillotson, 3-0.
The Leopards will embark on a short, two-game road trip to Dallas, as they take on DC North Lake (1-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and DC Richland (1-3) at 10 a.m.
ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.
Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 98 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.