Here We Go Again: The Tigers, who played 13 of their first 20 matches away from home, find themselves back on the road this weekend for a pair of crucial Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matches. Towson visits UNC Wilmington, who is tied with the Tigers for second place in the league standings, on Friday, Oct. 16. The Tigers then head to College of Charleston on Sunday, Oct. 18. Visit the volleyball schedule page on TowsonTigers.com for links to follow the Tigers this weekend and fans can also follow the team on Twitter (
@Towson_VB).
Tiger Tracks: The Tigers extended their current win streak to five with wins over Hofstra and Northeastern last weekend. Freshman
Jocelyn Kuilan led the Tigers with 24 kills in the two matches and now has a team-high 279 kills this season. Kuilan has also contributed a team-best 24 service aces and 38 blocks. Senior
Haley Pa'akaula ranks second on the team with 253 kills and 250 digs. Seniors
Aimee Schubert and
Kyana Miller have split the setting duties for the Tigers. Schubert has 557 assists and 18 service aces while Miller has contributed 392 assists and 11 service aces. Redshirt freshman
Anna Holehouse anchors the backline with 375 digs while junior
Lindsay Flaherty has a team-high 65 blocks.
Scouting the Opponents: Winners of three straight matches, the Seahawks welcome the Tigers to Trask Coliseum for a battle of the second place teams in the CAA. CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Meredith Peacock leads UNCW with 126 kills, 20 service aces and 85 blocks.
Nicole Lott has 234 kills and 176 digs.
Lindsay Hartmann leads the defensive efforts with 260 digs.
Riding a three-match win streak College of Charleston will play host to James Madison on Friday before welcoming the Tigers to town on Sunday.
Melissa Morello leads the Cougars with 275 kills and 222 digs entering play this week.
Allison Beckman has dished out 523 assists while
Britney Vallez has 311 digs.
Series History: Friday's meeting will be the 28th all-time between the Tigers and Seahawks. Towson leads the series 19-7 as the Tigers have won five of the last seven matches. Towson swept the season series last year.
Towson will be looking for its first ever win over the College of Charleston on Sunday. The Cougars have won all five of the meetings including the four meetings since the College of Charleston joined the CAA. Each of the last three meetings between the two squads have gone to five sets.
Welcome to the Block Party: Towson used 10 team blocks on Sunday to record the 3-1 win over Northeastern. Five Tigers recorded at least one block in the match and that group was led by redshirt junior
Candace Steadman and freshman
Jocelyn Kuilan who had six blocks each. Steadman's blocks were a season-high while Kuilan's were a career-high. The Tigers are now 4-0 this season when they record 10 or more team blocks in a match. Towson is 15-4 all-time under head coach
Don Metil when it posts 10 or more team blocks in a match.
Can You Dig It? Redshirt freshman
Anna Holehouse has played a key role in the Tigers' defensive success this season. Through 20 matches, Holehouse has contributed 375 digs for an average of 4.81 digs per set. Holehouse needs just 25 more digs to become the 17th player in school history with 400 or more digs in a single-season. In CAA only matches she has posted 135 digs and leads the league while averaging 5.40 digs per set.
Acing the Class: Another key to success this season for the Tigers has been their ability to serve up an ace when necessary. Through 20 matches this season, Towson has 123 service aces and is averaging 1.58 aces per set. The Tigers currently rank second in the CAA for aces per set. Seven Tigers have recorded 10 or more service aces this season. That group is led by freshmen
Jocelyn Kuilan and
Anna Holehouse who have recorded 24 and 22 service aces respectively.
Up Next: Following this weekend's action, the Tigers return home to start the second half of their CAA schedule with a five-match homestand. The action starts on Wednesday, Oct. 21 as the Tigers host Delaware at 7 p.m.