HARRISONBURG, Va. – No. 3 UNC Wilmington rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 win over the No. 2 Towson University volleyball team in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals on Saturday evening. The Tigers, who ended the season with 26 wins, were led by 16 kills from junior Jessica Lewis.

THE BASICS
No. 3 UNCW 3, No. 2 Towson 2
Sinclair Gymnasium, Harrisonburg, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Towson and UNC Wilmington (23-7) battled early before a 7-1 run allowed the Tigers to take a 13-7 lead in the first set. UNCW called timeout and coming out of the break, Towson (26-6) scored seven of the next 12 points for a 20-12 advantage. Lewis had a kill and a block assist for the Tigers during that key run. The two teams traded points out of a second UNCW timeout before back-to-back kills from sophomore Julymar Otero gave Towson a 25-15 set win.
• Towson hit .407 in the set while UNCW posted a .000 hitting percentage. Four Tigers recorded multiple kills in the set as that group was led by Lewis, who had six kills and hit .857.
• The Tigers opened up a quick 10-4 lead in the second set. Four Tigers recorded a kill during that scoring stretch. The Seahawks called timeout and responded by scoring six of the next nine points, which cut the Tiger lead to 13-10. Bella Borgiotti had a kill and a pair of block assists during that stretch. A kill from senior Haley Pa'akaula pushed the Towson lead to 17-13. The two teams continued to battle as a block from Lewis and junior Lindsay Flaherty made the score 22-19 in favor of the Tigers. The Seahawks scored four of the next five points and tied the set at 23-23. A kill from Lewis and a block from Pa'akaula and redshirt junior Candace Steadman gave Towson a 25-23 set win and a 2-0 advantage in the set.
• The Tigers hit .316 in the set while the Seahawks hit for a .244 clip in the set. Pa'akaula had three kills and four digs in the set while senior Kyana Miller dished out eight assists.
• UNCW took advantage of three attack errors by the Tigers and a pair of service aces to open up an 11-5 lead in the third set. Three straight service aces by Lindsay Hartmann pushed the Seahawks' lead to 17-7. Towson used a 7-4 run to make it 21-14. CAA Rookie of the Year Jocelyn Kuilan had a pair of kills during that run. A pair of attack errors by the Tigers gave the Seahawks a 25-14 set win.
• UNCW hit .194 in the set while the Tigers posted a .029 hitting percentage. The Seahawks had five service aces in the set. Nicole Lott led UNCW with four kills and two digs.
• The fourth set was the closest of the match as the two teams battled through eight ties and four lead changes. UNC Wilmington took a 13-10 lead but the Tigers battled back and took a 14-13 lead on a block from Kuilan and Flaherty. Towson took an 18-17 lead on an attack error by the Seahawks. However, that was the last lead the Tigers held in the set. UNCW used a 4-0 run to take a 21-18 advantage. The two teams traded points before a kill from Meredith Peacock gave the Seahawks a 25-20 set win and tied the match at 2-2.
• UNCW hit .333 in the set while Towson posted a .140 hitting percentage. Lott led the Seahawks with six kills and three digs in the set.
• Three kills from Lewis and a pair of kills from Otero and Kuilan helped the Tigers open up a 9-2 advantage in the fifth set. A kill from Otero pushed the Towson lead to 12-5. UNCW scored 10 of the final 11 points in the set for a 15-13 set victory and a win in the match.
• Both teams hit .259 in the set. Peacock had four kills and a pair of blocks for the Seahawks. Lewis had three kills and three digs in the set for the Tigers.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Towson hit .218 in the match while UNCW posted a .206 hitting percentage. Both teams recorded seven blocks in the match.
• Lewis added 15 digs to go with her team-high 16 kills and posted her eighth double-double of the year. Pa'akaula also posted a double-double with 11 kills and 19 digs. It was her team-leading 15th double-double of the year.
• CAA Defensive Specialist Anna Holehouse tied Pa'akaula for the team lead in digs with 19.
• Kuilan and Otero each finished with 11 kills.
• Lott led UNCW to the CAA Championship game with 17 kills and 10 didgs.

The Tigers, who reached the CAA Tournament for the second straight season under CAA Co-Coach of the Year Don Metil, lose four seniors (Pa'akaula, Miller, Aimee Schubert and Sarah Smith) to graduation. The Tigers will return Kuilan, Holehouse and Lewis among others as they reload for next season.