TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Tem-Cat volleyball team battled through a tough District 12-6A showdown on Friday evening at Wildcat Gym, ultimately falling to the visiting Copperas Cove Lady Dawgs in a competitive three-set sweep, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21.

The loss brings an end to the first half of district play for Temple, dropping the Tem-Cats to 3-3 in 12-6A action while Copperas Cove improved to 2-3.

Temple appeared to come out flat following an exhausting week on the hardwood. After enduring a pair of grueling five-set marathons last week and riding the emotional high of an intense victory over new crosstown rival Lake Belton on Tuesday, the Tem-Cats struggled to sustain their momentum against a crisp Lady Dawg defense.

Standout Performances

Despite the setback, several Tem-Cats put up monster numbers across the stat sheet. Kendall Tate put on a dominant all-around display, leading the offense with a team-high 21 kills while recording 20 digs and dishing out 13 assists.

Setter Madison Bond was equally vital to the Tem-Cats' rhythm, running the offense with 20 assists, digging out 14 shots, and serving up 4 aces. On the defensive end, libero Kylie Rayas anchored the backline with 21 digs, adding 7 assists, a kill, and an ace to her performance.

Full Team Box Score Summary

Every player on the Tem-Cat roster contributed to Friday night's effort:

Kendall Tate: 21 kills, 20 digs, 13 assists
Madison Bond: 20 assists, 14 digs, 4 aces
Kylie Rayas: 21 digs, 7 assists, 1 kill, 1 ace
Reliana Jerome: 11 digs
Sidney Mayo: 8 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill, 1 assist
Kylie Dixon: 7 digs, 4 kills
Kameryn Tate: 5 digs, 4 kills, 1 assist
Aubrey Baker: 5 digs, 4 kills, 2 blocks
Gabi Barbosa: 3 kills
Emory Corley: 3 kills, 1 dig
Cykhiah White: 1 kill, 1 block, 1 dig
Willow Pratt: 1 kill, 1 dig

Looking Ahead

With the loss, Temple sits at 19-16 overall on the season. The Tem-Cats will enjoy a well-deserved bye on Tuesday to regroup and rest up before launching into the second half of district action. Temple returns to the court on October 2 for a tough road test against district leader Midway (5-0).