 "Photo: Juan Fajardo/Senior Photographer")
It's been a long time coming, and it feels so good. In the eight years since Coach Ann Leonard-House joined the Rutgers volleyball team she had never gained a victory over regional rival Temple. Until Tuesday.
In a demonstration of how good this Scarlet Knight team (11-4) can be, it more than overcame a slow start to blow past the Temple Owls (14-7) in four games (24-30, 30-23, 30-18, 30-24). The win exacted a measure of redemption for the Knights, who extended their home-winning streak to 16, over the last team other than Rutgers to win at the College Ave Gym.
"It's revenge. In the past we haven't played that well against them," said co-captain Pua Tuyay. "We let all the youngsters know what a big game it was."
The youngsters turned in exceptional performances, but the catalyst and leader was Tuyay. She not only notched 45 assists and four block assists, but seemed to be everywhere on the floor and make all the right decisions.
"She's really starting to step up. Tactically, she's starting to get it and her placement is real good," said Leonard-House.
Her precise placement in setting up the Rutgers attack has Tuyay ranked first in the Big East and sixth in the nation in assists per game. She also is first in the Big East in service aces per game.
"It's my second year as a starter, and I know what I have to do. I try not to be tense, but it mostly comes from my team," said Tuyay.
The team is in the process of establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. Contributions come from every player who steps on the floor. The usual description of who led the team is difficult to apply.
Tuesday saw three players perform well enough to deserve that honor. Sophomores Shayla Bush and Casey Castillo both had 16 kills and 10 digs. For Bush, it was just another double-double. For Castillo, it was the type of performance that should be just another night. In addition to the solid statistics, Castillo unveiled a lethal jump serve that was a large factor in the Knights wide margin of victory.
The third leader on the evening was Lauren Venarchik. Currently ranked third in the conference in blocks per game despite recently missing time due to an injury, Venarchik totaled eight blocks to go along with her 10 kills.
"Lauren made a great comeback. It was so nice to have her back on the floor," said Leonard-House.
As a whole the team, aided by the Big East's second-leading blocker Mary Kiriakou, managed 13 blocks compared to Temple's five.
"That's a good blocking game for us. We were able to capitalize on Yun Xu's weak passing," said Leonard-House.
The win over the regionally ranked Owls is Rutgers' second over a regionally ranked opponent and could be a deciding factor in its NCAA hopes. If Rutgers does not win the Big East Tuesday's emphatic win may be even bigger.
First Rutgers will look to take a step toward being Big East champs when it faces Georgetown on Saturday. The Hoyas, at 6-1, are second in the conference, just ahead of Rutgers, who is 5-1.
"They have a dominating outside attack, but we do too," said Leonard-House. "It should be a real clash of the titans."
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