TOWSON, Md. – Back-to-back service aces from senior Kyana Miller helped the Towson University volleyball team close out the fourth set and claim a 3-1 win over Northeastern University on Sunday afternoon in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. Towson (18-2, 5-1 CAA) extended its current win streak to five straight matches with the victory.

THE BASICS
Towson 3, Northeastern 1
SECU Arena, Towson, Md.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Towson trailed 9-8 in the first set before an 11-7 run gave the home team a 19-16 advantage. Sophomore Julymar Otero had three kills while freshman Jocelyn Kuilan had a pair of kills and a block assist during that run. The Tigers extended their lead to 22-16 on a kill from Kuilan. An attack error by the Huskies (4-17, 1-5 CAA) closed out a 25-17 set win for the Tigers.
• Towson hit .324 in the set while holding Northeastern to a -.029 percentage. Kuilan had five kills in the set while redshirt senior Aimee Schubert contributed eight assists and four digs.
• A 5-0 run helped the Tigers open up a 14-7 advantage in the second set. Kuilan and junior Lindsay Flaherty each had a kill and a block assist during that stretch. A pair of kills from Otero extended the Towson lead to 19-12. A kill from Laynie Whitehead pulled Northeastern to within five, 20-15. Towson responded by scoring five of the next six points to secure the 25-16 set win. Redshirt sophomore Annika Rigterink recorded the final kill of the set which gave Towson a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Tigers hit .367 while Northeastern posted a .081 hitting percentage. Redshirt freshman Anna Holehouse had four digs and three assists in the set.
• The third set was a back-and-forth affair that saw the two teams battled through seven ties and four lead changes. Towson led 10-9 before Northeastern used an 8-1 run to take a 17-11 advantage. Cherylain Dizon led the Huskies with three kills during that stretch. Northeastern extended its lead to 22-15 on a service ace from Kristen Walding. A kill from junior Jessica Lewis on the next play started a 9-2 run by the home team that tied the set at 24-24. Senior Haley Pa'akaula had a pair of kills during that stretch. Jamie Bredahl used a kill and a service ace to secure a 26-24 win for the Huskies and forced the match to a fourth set.
• Dizon had six of the Huskies' 15 kills during that set. Holehouse had nine digs in the set.
• The fourth set also proved to be a close one as the two squads battled through eight ties and two lead changes. Towson trailed 24-22 before a kill from Lewis and an attack error by the Huskies tied the set at 24-24. A pair of kills from Bredahl sandwiched around a kill from Kuilan gave Northeastern a 26-25 edge. However a block from Kuilan and redshirt junior Candace Steadman tied the set at 26-26. That set the stage for Miller's two service aces that gave Towson a 28-26 set win and victory in the match.
• Kuilan had five kills in the fourth set while Miller dished out eight assists to go with three digs and the two service aces.

QUOTABLE

• "We were careless at times but we showed a lot of fight at times especially at the end of the sets," said Towson head coach Don Metil. "It's a great win for us but we've got to take care of the ball especially against teams that will pressure us more. Down the stretch we got a little tight and out of system but we were able to use the block down the stretch and get it back under control."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Tigers extended their current win streak to five straight matches.
• Schubert had 26 assists and 13 digs for her seventh double-double in the last eight matches.
• Kuilan led the Tigers with a match-high 15 kills and a career-high six blocks.
• Towson had 10 team blocks in the match and is now 4-0 on the season when it records 10 or more team blocks.

The Tigers are back in action on Friday, Oct. 16 as they head south to face UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. in a battle of the two second-place CAA teams.