Time to Get Things Started: The Tigers open their 40th season of volleyball and third under head coach Don Metil this weekend by hosting the six team, 12-match Towson Invitaitonal in SECU Arena. The Tigers are 29-10 in season openers throughout program history and have won seven of the last eight season openers. Towson faces Tennessee on Friday night, Manhattan and St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday and wraps up the weekend with Delaware State and Coppin State on Sunday.

Tournament Info: Fans are reminded that purchasing a ticket for each day of the tournament gains you access to all the matches held that day. All 12 of the matches will have live stats and video offered and the links can be found on the tournament central page (click here). Fans should park in Lot 21 for the duration of the tournament. On Friday, Towson's parking rules are enforced and fans parking in any of the other lots will need a parking pass to avoid being ticketed. (see map for Lot 21). On Saturday and Sunday, fans do not need a parking pass. Fans should also know that doors to SECU Arena located in Lot 20 will not be open, fans are encouraged to park in Lot 21 to be closer to an open door.

Series History: Friday's match will mark the first ever meeting between the Tigers and Tennessee. The Volunteers are one of five brand new opponents the Tigers will face this season. The Tigers are a combined 11-0 against their Saturday opponents. Towson has defeated Manhattan four times and St. Francis (Pa.) seven times. Towson defeated Delaware State twice last season and now lead the all-time series 9-0. The Tigers hosted Coppin State in one of their home tournaments last year and posted a 3-1 win to increase their series lead to 12-0.

Oh Captain, My Captain: A trio of Tigers have been tabbed as team captains for the 2015 season. Senior Haley Pa'akaula returns after earning third team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors last season. She finished third on the team with 334 kills and was eighth in the CAA in kills per set (31.5) and fifth in service aces per set (0.28). Redshirt senior Aimee Schubert led the team with 730 assists and ranked fifth in the CAA in assists per game (6.52). Redshirt junior Candace Steadman had 188 kills, 100 blocks and posted the seventh best hitting percentage (.281) in the CAA.

Aces for Autism: For the second straight season, the Tigers will do their part to raise funds and awareness for a good cause with their "Aces for Autism" program. Fans can make pledges either in  a flat amount using the donation boxes found on the mezzanine level in SECU Arena or take the TU Team Challenge and pledge per Towson's kill, block, dig, assist, or ace season totals. Fans' donations to this event will go toward the organization of their choice, or fans can allow the volleyball team to allocate the funds to the autism organization of their choice.

Welcome to the Block Party: Junior Lindsay Flaherty has proven herself as one of the top blockers in the CAA through her first two seasons. Last year Flaherty recorded the 200th block of her career, becoming the 19th player in program history to reach that mark. Flaherty needs just 40 more blocks to move into the top 10 for career blocks at Towson.

Up Next: The Tigers embark on a 13-match road trip following this weekend's action. Towson, which will play three matches at the North Dakota State Tournament next weekend, don't return home until October 9.