TOWSON, Md. – Down 2-0 in the match, the Towson University volleyball team rallied for a huge 3-2 comeback win over UNCW on Saturday night in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) action. Playing five sets for just the second time this season, the Tigers (24-4, 10-4 CAA) used a balanced attack to claim the win. It was Towson's seventh win in its last eight contests.

THE BASICS
Towson 3, UNCW 2 (23-25, 14-25, 25-19, 26-24, 15-11)
SECU Arena, Towson, Md.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers trailed 10-9 in the first set before a 7-2 run gave the home team a 16-12 advantage. Sophomore Silvia Grassini had three kills for Towson during that stretch.
• UNCW (9-17, 3-11 CAA) responded up scoring eight of the next nine points and took a 20-17 edge. Maddy Kline paced the Seahawks during that stretch with a kill and a pair of block assists.
• The two teams continued to battle before a kill from Halle Hunt gave the visitors a 25-23 set win and the early lead in the match.
• UNCW opened up an early 10-4 lead in the second set on an attack error by the Tigers.
• The Seahawks extended their lead to 17-7 on a block from Hunt and Sydney Brock.
• UNCW pushed its offensive attack as a kill from Hunt secured a 25-14 set win and gave the Seahawks a 2-0 lead in the match.
• Towson manufactured a 5-0 run to take an 8-3 lead in the third set. Sophomore Annie Ertz had a pair of kills during that stretch for the Tigers.
• A 5-1 scoring spurt by the home team extended the Towson advantage to 15-9. Junior Carola Biver had a pair of kills during that run.
• Senior Julymar Otero notched a kill which gave the Tigers an 18-12 lead and forced UNCW to call timeout.
• A kill from junior Jocelyn Kuilan allowed Towson to take a 20-13 lead in the stanza.
• A service error by UNCW secured a 25-19 win in the third set for the Black and Gold and forced the match to a fourth set.
• Towson trailed 11-9 in the fourth set following a kill from Kline.
• The Tigers manufactured a 6-4 run which allowed the home team to tie the set at 15-15. Kuilan knocked down three kills for the Tigers during that key run.
• A kill from Hunt gave UNCW an 18-15 lead and the visitors pushed that advantage to 20-18 on a kill from Kline.
• The two teams went back-and-forth as neither team could take a lead of more than a point.
• A bad set by UNCW put the Tigers ahead 24-22. However the Seahawks battled back and tied the set at 24-24 on a kill from Anna Moss.
• Kills from Kuilan and Biver on the next two serves gave Towson a 26-24 comeback set victory and tied the match at 2-2.
• Trailing 4-3 in the fifth set, the Tigers got a kill from Otero and a pair of blocks, the first from Kuilan and junior Olamide Sonuga and the second from Sonuga and Ertz, and took a 6-4 lead.
• UNCW battled back and tied the set at 6-6 but a solo block from Sonuga on the next serve allowed the Tigers to take a lead they would not relinquish.
• A kill from Kuilan extended the Towson advantage to 10-8.
• Madison Peters had a kill which pulled UNCW to within one, 12-11.
• Towson closed out the match with kills from Otero, Kuilan and Sonuga. The 15-11 set win gave the home team a victory in the match.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Tigers played a five set match for just the second time this season (Oakland on September 16) and have won both matches.
• UNCW posted a .249 hitting percentage to the Tigers' .237 in the contest. However the Tigers recorded more kills (78 to 57).
• The Seahawks out blocked the Tigers, 14-6 in the match.
• Towson finished with 100 digs in the contest. It was the Tigers' first match with at least 100 digs since they had 103 against Delaware in 2015.
• Otero finished with 12 kills, 28 assists and 18 digs for her fifth triple-double of the season. She ranks second in the nation for triple-doubles this season.
• Sophomore Marrisa Wonders, redshirt junior Anna Holehouse and Kuilan all contributed double-doubles in the contest. Wonders had a season-high 38 assists and a career-high 20 digs for her team-leading 13th double-double of the year. Holehouse posted her second career double-double with a career-high 12 assists and 25 digs. Kuilan recorded her second double-double of the year with a match-high 19 kills and 13 digs.
• The Tiger middle blockers were extremely effective in the contest. Grassini had 13 kills while hitting .550 while Sonuga added 13 kills and hit .385.
• Biver was the fifth Tiger to record double-digit kills as she contributed 13 while adding nine digs.
• Kline led UNCW with 17 kills and seven digs while Hunt added 15 kills and 10 digs.   

 
The Tigers wrap up a busy stretch of three matches in four days when they host James Madison on Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m. With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Tigers sit in third place in the CAA standings, one win in front of the Dukes. Towson earned a 3-1 win when it faced James Madison in Harrisonburg earlier this season.