120 days of commitment.

That's what Towson volleyball Head Coach Don Metil asks of his team as they prepare for the 2014 season.

"We want the girls to perform well day in and day out and leave everything else aside," said the second-year Tiger leader. "If we get that commitment from the start of preseason and it continues, it would take us through the NCAA Tournament in December."

Metil admits his first season at the helm of the Towson program had its ups and downs, but the potential for success will be there this season.

"The team showed promise at the end of the conference season," said Metil. "I thought taking a couple of matches late (Delaware and JMU) and forcing College of Charleston to five showed our girls coming together.

"This year we have the opportunity to play at home and to find success a lot earlier with this schedule," remarked Metil. "We want to play clean ball, so we can be one of the top six teams in the conference. Year one, we were who we were. Year two, we want to make the tournament."

Here's a look at the Tiger roster broken down by class:

SENIORS -
Metil will look to his six-player senior class to lead the way. In particular, senior co-captains Saitaua Iosia and Paige Sekerak will be counted on to set the tone for the Tigers both on and off the court.

Iosia is a 2014 Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Honorable Mention selection at outside hitter. Last year, she earned third team All-CAA honors after leading the team in kills (381) and service aces (38) and finishing second on the squad with 294 digs.

"Sa has been at Towson for a year now [after transferring from UMES before 2013 season]," said Metil. "She has the ability to bring people along with her. When she plays well, others around her will play well."

Sekerak is the Tigers' leader on defense as she has appeared in every match over the last three years as the libero. Last season, she became just the third player in school history to record over 500 digs in a single season when she finished with 517. Sekerak had a career-high 31 digs in the regular-season finale against UNC Wilmington. She recorded the 1,000th dig of her career in late September and needs just 232 to tie the school record for career digs.

"Paige is a great player to have because the girls respond to her and respect her," said Metil. "She needs to be a consistent voice on and off the court."

Another key contributor will be senior opposite hitter Victoria Williams. Williams is another player who joined the Tigers before last season as a transfer from UMES. She appeared in 32 matches with 278 kills and 65 blocks.

"Tori will be a figurehead at the pin for us," said Metil. "The team is counting on her and Saitaua to play well and set the table."

Also included in this year's senior class are defensive specialists Aniris Fernandez and Capri Tirrell along with middle blocker Breana Harris.

Fernandez appeared in 17 matches last season and contributed 29 digs and a service ace. Tirrell appeared in 29 matches as a junior and finished the year with 130 digs. She matched her career high with 11 digs at UNC Wilmington.

Harris is the newcomer to the group as she joined the Tigers after three years at Bethany College in West Virginia. She is a two-time all-conference selection as a middle blocker who helped the Bison win three straight ECAC championships. Harris had 852 kills and 320 digs in three years.

Metil said, "Breana is a lock kid who jumps and has the ball come off her hand well. She can also run a nice slide, which is something we were missing last year."

JUNIORS –
Metil has a nice mix of options in his junior class. The five juniors include three setters, a middle blocker and a libero/defensive specialist.

Leading the charge will be middle blocker/outside hitter Haley Pa'akaula. Pa'akaula appeared in 31 matches and finished third on the team with 220 kills. She earned CAA and ECAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors at the end of October after leading the Tigers to a 2-1 league mark and their first CAA win of the year.

"Haley really opened our eyes last year," said Metil. "She came off the bench and later earned the starting spot on the outside. She's worked hard on her defense and lateral quickness and could be a six-rotational player for us this season."

Setters Aimee Schubert, Kelsey Polak and Kyana Miller will all battle for playing time this season after seeing time last season. Schubert appeared in 17 matches and finished with 316 assists while Polak played in 21 matches and led the team with 328 assists. Miller saw time in 26 matches and finished the year with 307 helpers.

Sarah Smith will fight for space on the court at a deep libero/defensive specialist position. Smith saw action in 15 matches, primarily as a serving specialist and defensive back row sub. She finished the year with 22 digs, including a career-high nine at William & Mary.

SOPHOMORES –
The sophomore class could provide Metil with more of the success it found during the 2013 season.

Middle blockers Candace Steadman and Lindsay Flaherty will look to duplicate the numbers they put together last season.

Steadman appeared in all 34 matches and finished second on the team with 78 blocks. She recorded five blocks in a match four times while contributing 140 kills on the year.

"Candace has developed into one of our team's best blockers," said Metil. "We were a little unsure after the fall where she would be since she was still in a knee brace, but she had a really good spring. She can run either in front or behind the setter, and that should be key."

Flaherty made the most of her time as a freshman for the Tigers. She played in all 34 matches and became the first Tiger freshman since 2006 to record over 100 blocks in a season (108). She had a season-high eight at James Madison and added 141 kills on the year.

"Lindsay's defense will be called on this year again," said Metil. "The interaction with the setter should be better for our hitters this year, and that should help her."

Outside hitter Taylor Huewe will push for potential playing time as well. She appeared in two matches a freshman.

FRESHMEN –
Metil has a five-person freshmen class and has hopes this group will contribute right away, if not on the court then by pushing the others in the practice.

Setter Barbara Lopez could make an immediate impact for the Tigers. She attended Bayamon Military Academy in Puerto Rico and was the MVP of the Copa El Nuevo All-Star game in 2013.

"Barbara should be part of our offense in some way this season," remarked Metil. "She could be part of a 6-2 offense or potentially take over and run a 5-1. If she's in the front run, she's a scoring threat that other teams are going to have to be aware of and has a good jump spin serve."

Middle blocker/outside hitter Lauren Westervelt could push for a spot early on. She is a four-year letter winner from Hunterdon Central High School in New Jersey who finished her career with 945 kills, 280 digs, 76 blocks and 167 aces.

"If she had a good preseason, Lauren could potentially be a part of our 6-2 plans right away," said Metil. "She allows for flexibility in our offense and should challenge for time."

The rest of the freshmen class is composed of outside hitter Payton Windell and libero/defensive specialists Melaney Nicholls and Anna Holehouse.

Windell was a four-year standout for Coach Kim Briscoe at Corydon Central in Indiana. She was a  member of the 1,000 career kill club. Nicholls and Holehouse are local products. Nicholls was a four-year star for Coach Cary Lyons at Dulaney High School. She helped the Lions wins a state and regional championship as a senior. Holehouse helped Fallston win the Maryland state championship as a freshman.