TOWSON, Md. -- The barnstorming Towson University women's volleyball team returns to SECU Arena for a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matches this weekend, hosting UNCW Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. showdown with Charleston on Sunday.

First Serve

The Tigers look to keep the run going and finish off the first leg of the 2019 CAA schedule with a pair of southerly foes Friday night and Sunday afternoon against UNCW and the College of Charleston.

In The National Rankings
None of the teams involved in this weekend's matches are mentioned in the AVCA Poll.

Scouting the Tigers
Towson (16-2, 6-0 CAA) continued its best run in conference play since the 2012 season and enters the weekend with a 10-match winning streak after sweeping William & Mary and battling past Elon in four. Sophomore Emily Jarome paces Towson's offense with 191 kills and a 3.18 per-set average. Seniors Olivia Finckel and Annie Ertz are close behind with 157 kills (2.66) and 145 kills (2.59), respectively. Middle blockers Lydia Wiers (137) and Silvia Grassini (129) round out the six Tigers with at least 100 kills this season.  Towson's high-powered offense, which ranks first in the league in hitting percentage (.277), assists per set (12.82) and kills per set (13.93), runs through the hands of Marrisa Wonders, who has lofted 656 assists thus far, averaging 10.93 per set to lead the CAA. Four Tigers have hit double digit service aces this year, led by 19 from Jarome and 18 from libero Camryn Allen, who has successfully served an ace in each of the last 14 matches for the Tigers. On the back end, Allen leads Towson in digs with 225, averaging 3.75 per set. Wonders is second with 151 (2.52) while Ertz has 135 (2.46). At the net, Towson's dynamic duo of Wiers and Grassini lead the way with 76 and 68 blocks, respectively. Finckel is close behind with 65 while the entire trio logs at least one block per set this season. Wiers leads the CAA with 1.27 blocks per set with Grassini (1.13) and Finckel (1.10) ranking fourth and fifth in the league. Despite a net-front presence, the trio has combined for just 11 blocking errors

Scouting the Seahawks
The Seahawks come to town with an overall record of 11-8 and 1-5 in league play. UNCW fell in a pair up north, both in five sets, at Northeastern and Hofstra. Madison Peters paces the Seahawks with 177 kills (2.27) while Kendall Bender is second with 161 (2.06). Jamie Thomas ranks second with 2.44 kills per set with 154 total, ranking third. UNCW's service has been strong this season with four players north of 20 aces. Katie Lanz leads the way with 29 while Brynn Montgomery is second with 23. Anna Weissmann leads UNCW's back row with 316 total digs, averaging 4.05 per set, which is fifth-best in the league. Bender is the Seahawks' top blocker with 81 and is the lone player with an average above 1.00. Peters has the second-best average on the team with 0.81 per set.

Towson-UNCW History
Despite the distance, Friday's match will be the 42nd meeting all-time between Towson and UNCW. The Tigers lead the series with a 30-11 advantage. Towson has dominated at home, dropping just one match in 16 in Tigertown. The road series is a bit tighter with a 10-7 Towson lead. The Tigers have reeled off six-straight wins over the Seahawks but it hasn't been easy; five of the last six matches have gone at least four sets, including back-to-back five setters in 2017 and 2018. Towson has not dropped a decision at home against UNCW since the 2013 campaign, a four-set defeat on Nov. 16. Towson won last year's match at SECU Arena in five sets: 25-19, 15-25, 24-26, 25-18, 15-9.

Towson-UNCW By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 30-11
at Towson Towson 15-1
at UNCW Towson 10-7
at Neutral Sites Towson 5-3
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1979 (Towson 2, UNCW 0)
Last Meeting Oct. 29, 2018
Towson 3, UNCW 1
Streak Towson +6

Last Time Out vs. UNCW | Oct. 29, 2018 | Wilmington, N.C. | Hanover Hall 
Towson picked up the season sweep with a four-set win (25-23, 25-23, 25-27, 25-19) on the road. Silvia Grassini paced Towson with 13 kills while Olivia Finckel chipped in a dozen. Grassini led Towson at the net as well, posting nine blocks. Anna Holehouse delivered 19 digs with Marrisa Wonders adding 16 with 21 assists. Neither side hit particularly well as Towson went for .137 while UNCW was limited to .131.

Scouting the Cougars
The College of Charleston enters this weekend's action with a 4-14 overall record and sits at 1-5 in league play. The Cougars dropped their pair last weekend, falling in straight sets at Hofstra before dropping a 3-1 decision at Northeastern. Charleston's lone contest this week is Sunday's match at Towson. Mandy Napierala leads the offense with 157 total kills (2.53) with Lauren Freed close behind with 153 (2.39). Peyton Eisnaugle is the only other Cougar with more than 100 kills, logging 119 to date. Freed is the only Cougar with more than 10 service aces, dropping in 21. Logan Manusky is the top performer in the back with 285 digs, averaging 4.45 per set. Eisnaugle leads Charleston at the net with 52 blocks. Claire Campbell is second with 36, including a team-best eight solo stops. 
Towson-Charleston By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Charleston Leads 11-2
at Towson Charleston 5-1
at Charleston Charleston 6-1
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Sept. 1, 2007 (CofC 3, Towson 0)
Last Meeting Oct. 27, 2018
Charleston 3, Towson 2
Streak Charleston +6

Towson-Charleston History
It's not a long history between Towson and Charleston; the teams first met on Sept. 1, 2007. The Cougars lead the all-time series 11-2 and are riding a six-match winning streak. Towson is looking for its first win over the Cougars since a 3-0 decision in 2015, leading to the season sweep. The last meeting was an epic five-setter in Charleston. The Cougars won that battle 25-21, 19-25, 24-26, 25-15, 15-12.

With a Win Over UNCW, Towson Would...
- Extend its winning streak to 11-straight matches, the longest for the program since the opening the 2017 with a 16-0 mark.
- Win its seventh straight match over UNCW, tying for the longest winning streak in series history and first since Towson won seven from 2002-05.
- Improve to 16-1 all-time in Towson against the Seahawks.
- Be Towson's sixth-straight win at SECU Arena, dating back to a 3-0 sweep of Albany on Sept. 14.
- See Towson improve to 7-0 in league play for the first time since the Tigers went 12-0 in league play in 2012.

More Honors
For a fifth-straight week, a Towson player has earned a weekly honor from the league office as Lydia Wiers was selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday. It is her second honor this season as she was also the Rookie of the Week on Sept. 30.

The rookie continued her strong campaign as Lydia Wiers helped Towson to a 2-0 week in seven sets over William & Mary and Elon. Wiers capped her weekend with 18 total kills, hitting at a .455 to lead Towson's regular attackers. She added six block assists against Elon in a four setter to average nearly a block per set this weekend.

Another One
Senior middle blocker Silvia Grassini was selected as the CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 7. It was her second weekly honor this season and marked a fourth-straight week a Towson student-athlete has earned a CAA weekly award.

Grassini helped Towson to a 2-0 weekend with a pair of sweeps against Northeastern and defending league champion Hofstra. Grassini was in on 10 blocks for the weekend against two high-powered offenses, averaging 1.17 blocks per set. Grassini added a pair of digs as well as committing zero blocking errors. On the offensive side, the senior hit at a .500 percent clip for the weekend, knocking down 15 kills with just two errors on her 26 swings.

Climbing the Books
Senior middle blocker Silvia Grassini has made her presence known at the net during her three years with the Black & Gold. The Padua, Italy native has racked 274 career blocks, ranking 12th all-time in program history. Jessica Beck (1994-97) is 11th with 305 while Candace Steadman (2012-16) is 10th with 315.

In the current 25-point rally scoring system (2008), Grassini ranks fourth in program history among players whose entire careers were played from 2008 on.

25-Point Rally Scoring Era Careers (2008-Present)
1) 427 - Lindsey Flaherty - 2013-16
2) 322 - Susan Gansor - 2008-11
3) 315 - Candace Steadman - 2012-16
4) 274 - Silvia Grassini - 2017-Pres.

Let Me Help You With That
Despite playing in a 6-2 rotation for the first three years of her career, senior setter Marrisa Wonders is inching closer to the record books. The Mount Joy, Pennsylvanian has hoisted 2,889 assists in her career. She is 190 shy of surpassing Mary Clare Coghlan's fourth-place mark of 3,078.

Wonders is having a career season in 2019, pushing up 656 assists in just 60 sets, averaging 10,93 per set. Her total to date already rank as the third-most in her career. Her rookie season she logged 869, followed by 758 as a sophomore.

Welcome to Our House
The friendly confines of SECU Arena have been kind to the Towson Tigers. Since moving into the new building full time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 59-23 overall record at SECU Arena. The Tigers have three seasons with double digit wins, including a 10-3 mark in 2017. With a challenging home schedule last season, the Tigers went 7-8, but finished strong on a three-match win streak at home. To date, the Tigers are 6-1 in SECU Arena this year.

Ace Up Her Sleeve
Junior libero Camryn Allen doesn't have the biggest serve, but it's effective. Allen is second on the team in service aces this season, dropping in 18 through 18 matches. More impressive, is the current tear Allen is on; the 5-7 defensive specialist has logged at least one ace in each of the Tigers' last 14 matches. She is the only player in the CAA to rack up at least 10 matches this season with at least one service ace.

The Law Firm of Finckel, Grassini and Wiers
If you've been hurt by a block this season, chances are it's from Olivia Finckel, Silvia Grassini or Lydia Wiers. Towson is the only team in the CAA to have three players ranked in the top five in blocks per set. Wiers, the rookie, leads the conference with a 1.27 per-set average. Grassini is currently fourth in the league with a 1.13 average while Finckel is fifth in the league at a 1.10 clip. Towson is the only program in the CAA with multiple players averaging better than a block per set.

Stuck in the Middle With You
The Tigers are boasting a one-two punch in the middle this season between freshman Lydia Wiers and senior Silvia Grassini. The pair are ranked first and second, respectively, in the CAA in hitting percentage. Wiers leads the league at a .424 percentage, scoring 137 kills on 255 swings with 29 errors. Grassini is second with a .418 hitting percentage on 129 kills, 244 attempts and 27 errors. Towson is the only program in the league with multiple players in the top five. 

Getcha Brooms Out
The Tigers are a perfect 13-0 in three-set matches this season, sweeping William & Mary (25-16, 25-23, 25-14) on Friday. Under head coach Don Metil, the Tigers are 82-25 in three-setters and have had double-digit sweeps in each of the last six seasons. Towson's highwater mark for sweeps was a 15-2 mark in the 2014 campaign. Towson has already surpassed its winning sweep mark from last season after going 10-6 in three set matches in 2018.

Wins on Wins on Wins on Wins
Over the last five seasons, the Tigers have been a tough out for opponents. Between 2014-18, the Tigers have racked up a 121-41 overall record, which ranks 19th among NCAA Division I teams in terms of total wins in that span. With a winning percentage of .747 over the last five years, Towson ranks 22nd among fellow Division I teams in terms of winning percentage.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
This fall, the Towson Tigers will check off each animal on the fabled list from the Wizard of Oz. Towson faced the Bears of Morgan Saturday on Aug. 31 before sweeping Tigers of a different color against Princeton (Sept. 7). Towson will face Hofstra, which uses lions for its mascots, once more (Oct. 27) after a sweep on Oct. 6. To date, Towson is 3-0 against the Wizard of Oz.

Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.

- For the 7th consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.

- Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.

- Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.

- Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.