WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Towson University volleyball team got “double-double” performances from juniors Saitaua Iosia and Aimee Schubert but it was not enough as the Tigers fell at William & Mary, 3-2. The Tigers finished the match with 91 digs, their most digs in a match since 2009.
In the first set, the two sides found themselves tied at 7-7 early on. Towson used an 11-5 run, including a 6-0 spurt to break the tie and take an 18-12 lead. Liz Brown recorded a kill to briefly halt the Tiger run. However, Towson responded by scoring seven of the final 11 points to earn a 25-17 set victory.
William & Mary used a block to open up a 6-3 lead in the second set. The Tribe increased its advantage to 16-11 on a kill from Monika Stanciauskas. Towson scored the next three points, including a kill from freshman Lindsay Flaherty, which made it 16-14. The two teams continued to battle and trade points before a kill from Brown made it 23-19 in favor of the home team. Towson called timeout and coming out of the break, scored four of the next five points to cut the deficit to one, 24-23. Stanciauskas had a kill to secure the 25-23 set victory for the Tribe and tie the match at 1-1.
Towson led 7-3 early in the third set following a kill from Flaherty. The Tigers increased their advantage to 13-8 on a block from sophomore Candace Steadman and junior Victoria Williams. A service error by the Tribe allowed Towson to take a 19-12 advantage in the set. The Tigers led 22-13 following a kill from Williams. William & Mary scored six of the next eight points to pull to within five. A kill from Williams closed out the 25-19 set win for the Tigers and gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Tigers took a 9-5 lead in the fourth behind a block form Iosia and Flaherty. Towson led 11-7 before William & Mary scored seven unanswered points to turn a four point deficit into a three point lead. The two teams continued to battle as a Tiger attack error gave William & Mary a 19-13 advantage. Towson used a 5-0 run to pull to within one, 19-18. The Tribe went ahead 22-18, following a kill from Dessi Koleva. The Tigers scored five of the next seven points to pull to within one again, 24-23. Iosia had a pair of kills during that stretch for the Tigers. However, William & Mary was able to secure the 25-23 set win on a bad set by the Tigers. The Tribe's fourth set victory tied the match at 2-2.
In the fifth set, Towson jumped out to an 8-6 lead on a block from Steadman and Williams. The two sides traded points and found themselves tied at 10-10 on a kill from Williams. William & Mary scored four of the next five points to take a 14-11 lead in the set. A service error by the Tribe gave the Tigers one more point before a Brown kill secured a 15-12 set win for the home team and victory in the match.
Iosia posted her second straight “double-double” and eighth of the season. She finished with 14 kills and 16 digs to lead the Tigers. Schubert's “double-double” was her first as a Tiger as she posted a season-high 27 assists and 11 digs. Williams had 13 kills while Flaherty contributed 11 kills, eight digs and seven blocks.
Junior Paige Sekerak finished with a match-high 28 digs. That gives her 333 for the season and 1,201 for her career. She currently ranks fifth in program history for career digs.
Brown led William & Mary with 15 kills while Koleva had 14 kills and nine digs.
Towson returns to action on Friday, Oct. 18 when the Tigers visit Northeastern for a 7 p.m. match.
