TOWSON, Md. – A balanced team effort led the Towson University volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Cal State Fullerton in the opening match of the Towson Tiger Invitational on Thursday night in SECU Arena. Nine of the 11 Tigers who appeared in the match recorded at least one kill as Towson improved to 7-0 on the year.

The seven straight wins to start the season are the most by a Tiger squad since the 2014 squad opened the season with nine straight victories.

THE BASICS
Towson 3, Cal State Fullerton (32-30, 25-12, 25-13)
SECU Arena, Towson, Md.
Day One of the Towson Tiger Invitational

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first set was the most tightly contested as the two teams battled through seven ties and seven lead changes. Cal State Fullerton (2-5) quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead and pushed its advantage to 15-10 on a kill from Tyler Fezzey. Towson responded by scoring seven of the next 10 points and cut the Titans lead to 18-17. Sophomore Annie Ertz had a kill and a service ace during that stretch.
• The two teams traded points as a kill from Jayla Norman gave Cal State Fullerton set point at 24-22. Towson used a kill from Ertz and an attack error by the Titans to tie the set at 24-24. The Tigers and Titans then went back-and-forth for several points. Eventually kills from juniors Olamide Sonuga and Carola Biver and an errors by the Titans gave Towson a 32-30 set win.
• The Tigers quickly jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set and forced Cal State Fullerton to use an early timeout. Senior Julymar Otero had a kill and a pair of blocks during that early run. A pair of kills from junior Jocelyn Kuilan and one from sophomore Silvia Grassini pushed the Tiger advantage to 15-6. Another kill from Grassini extended the home team's lead to 19-12. A kill and a service ace from Biver helped the Tigers earn a 25-12 set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The third set started much the same way as the second set did as Towson opened up an 8-3 lead and Cal State Fullerton called timeout. Kuilan registered a pair of early kills for the Tigers. A kill from Sonuga and a service ace from Ertz pushed the Towson advantage to 15-4. A big block from Ertz, Grassini and Otero extended the Tiger lead to 20-9. A pair of kills from Ertz in the closing stretch secured a 25-13 set win and victory in the match.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The 32 points scored by the Tigers in the first set were the most by a Tiger team since the 2014 team scored 31 against Delaware.
• Three Tigers recorded a double-double in the match. Sophomore Marrisa Wonders finished with 21 assists and 11 digs for her sixth double-double in seven matches. Junior Peyton Moyles recorded her third double-double of the year with 11 assists and 12 digs while Biver finished with 10 kills and 10 digs.
• Towson matched its season-high with seven service aces. Ertz led the efforts with three aces.
• Redshirt junior Anna Holehouse led the defensive efforts with 13 digs and added six assists.
• Grassini and Otero each had a team-high four blocks.
• Towson held Cal State Fullerton to a .017 hitting percentage in the match.
• Madeline Schneider led the Titans with nine kills.

 
Day two of the tournament kicks off Friday, Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. as Eastern Michigan takes on Quinnipiac. The Tigers will be back on the court Friday night at 7 p.m. when they take on George Mason.