First Serve
After spending a weekend at SECU Arena, the Towson University women's volleyball team hits the road this weekend for the northern climes of the CAA footprint, taking on Northeastern Friday evening in Boston before heading to Hempstead to take on Hofstra.

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

Scouting the Tigers
Towson (18-2, 8-0 CAA) continued its run in the regular season, extending the win streak out to 12 with a four-set win over UNCW and a sweep of Charleston on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Towson's high-powered yet versatile offense is led by Emily Jarome's 210 kills (3.13) while Olivia Finckel is close behind with 177 (2.68). Towson has four players within 30 kills of each as Annie Ertz has 164 (2.60), Lydia Wiers has 160 (2.39) and Silvia Grassini has 150 (2.24). Wiers and Grassini not only lead Towson in hitting percentage at .432 and .422, respectively, but the duo ranks first and second in the entire conference. Senior setter Marrisa Wonders has posted 744 assists to date, averaging a league-best 11.10 per set. In league play, Wonders averages 11.67 assists per set. Camryn Allen now leads the Tigers in service aces with 22 after successfully logging an ace in her 16th straight match, scoring a career-best three against Charleston. Allen leads Towson's back row with 249 digs (3.72) while Wonders is second with 173 digs (2.58). Towson has dominated BLOCKtober this year with 58 total blocks to date in October as a team, averaging 2.99 per set. Wiers and Grassini lead Towson's efforts at the net with 88 and 79 total blocks, respectively. Finckel is in the 70 block club as well with 73. Towson is the only team in the CAA with three players ranked in the top five for blocks per set. Wiers (1.31) and Grassini (1.18) are second and third with Finckel ranking fifth (1.11).

Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern's record is as even as it gets as the Huskies enter the weekend at 10-10 overall and 4-4 in league play. Northeastern split last weekend, falling in three to James Madison before sweeping Delaware. Natalie Shollin leads the Husky offense with 158 kills (2.14) while Brianna Daphnie has 143 and a team-best 2.55 per set. Northeastern has split time between two setters in Samantha Shupe (462, 6.24) and Liz Carroll (294, 4.26). Shupe and Clare Lund have been strong on the serve with 27 and 21 aces, respectively. Lund leads the way with 279 digs (3.77) while Kayla Martin has 182 (2.64). Shollin is the top blocker with 71, averaging 0.96 per set. Northeastern is 3-2 at the Cabot Center this season and won its last two matches at home with a 3-2 decision against UNCW before a four-set win over Charleston.

Towson-Northeastern History
Friday night will be the second meeting this season between the Tigers and the Huskies. Towson swept the visitors at the beginning of the month (25-21, 25-12, 25-15). Towson has won the last two meetings in sweeping fashion after eliminating the Huskies from the 2018 CAA Championship last season. This marks the first time in the series Towson has won back-to-back matches against Northeastern since winning four straight from 2014-15. The two teams first met during the 1987 season and have met at least once a year since 2005 when the Huskies transitioned to the CAA.

Towson-Northeastern By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record NU leads 25-15
at Towson NU 11-8
at Northeastern NU 13-5
at Neutral Sites Towson 2-1
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1987 (NU 2, Towson 0)
Last Meeting Oct. 4, 2019
Towson 3, Northeastern 0
Streak Towson +2

Last Time Out vs. Northeastern | Oct. 4, 2019 | Towson, Md. | SECU Arena 
In the second weekend of league play, the Tigers swept Northeastern (25-21, 25-12, 25-15) to secure a 3-0 start in the league. The Tigers dominated at the net with 13 blocks while Towson was only blocked twice. Annie Ertz and Emily Jarome led the way for Towson with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. The pair combined to hit for .362 in that match. Lydia Wiers finished with six kills and a .667 hitting percentage as she and fellow middle Silvia Grassini notched six block assists apiece.

Scouting the Pride
As of Oct. 23, Hofstra holds a 12-8 overall record and a 5-3 mark in league play. The Pride play Elon Thursday evening before hosting William & Mary on Saturday. Laura Masciullo, who ranks second in the CAA in kills per set, leads Hofstra with 289 total kills (4.07). Ana Martinovic is second with 190 (2.60) while Athina Dimitriadis is third with 134 (2.06). Luisa Sydlik runs the offense with 749 total assists (10.40) and ranks second in the league in assists per set. Sydlik has 25 service aces while Martinovic is second with 21. In the back row, Juliana Vaz leads with 296 digs (4.11) while Sydlik is second with 203 (2.82).At the net, Hofstra does not have a player that averages a block per set, but Dubravka Krakovic is close with a 0.98 thanks to 51 total blocks. Dimitriadis is second with 31 total stuffs.

Towson-Hofstra By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Hofstra Leads 40-18
at Towson Hofstra 15-8
at Hofstra Hofstra 17-6
at Neutral Sites Hofstra 8-4
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1982 (Hofstra 2-0)
Last Meeting October 6, 2019
Towson 3, Hofstra 0
Streak Towson +1
Towson-Hofstra History
There is a long history between Towson and Hofstra as the programs meet for the 59th time Sunday afternoon. Hofstra leads the all-time series 40-18, but the Tigers took a 3-0 win in the first meeting of the season in straight sets (25-15, 25-15, 25-21). Neither side has put together consecutive wins since Towson swept Hofstra in back-to-back meetings to cap the 2016 regular season and the CAA Tournament. 

With a Win Over Northeastern, Towson Would...
- Extend its winning streak to 13-straight matches, the longest for the program since the opening the 2017 with a 16-0 mark.
- Win its third-straight match over Northeastern, its longest winning streak over the Huskies since racking four from 2014-15.
- Be Towson's eighth-straight win away from SECU Arena dating back to the Rutgers Invitational on Sept. 6.
- See Towson improve to 9-0 in league play for the first time since the Tigers went 12-0 in league play in 2012.
- Improve Towson to 45-19 all-time in the month of October under head coach Don Metil.

Double The Honors
For the first time in 2019, two Towson women's volleyball players collected weekly honors at the same time from the league office as Silvia Grassini was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Week while Lydia Wiers was named as the Rookie of the Week.

Grassini continued her torrid pace for the Tigers as Towson went 2-0 over the weekend, besting southern foes UNCW (3-1) and Charleston (3-0). Grassini was a key component to holding Towson's opponents to a .135 hitting percentage for the week as the Padua, Italy native finished with 11 block assists. Grassini, who ranks in the top five in the league in blocks per set improved her average with 1.57 blocks per set this weekend. The middle blocker collected five digs as well. Offensively, Grassini had 21 kills on 38 swings with just four errors, hitting .447 for the weekend.

Once again, Rookie of the Year candidate Wiers was a key factor as the Tigers knocked off UNCW (3-1) and Charleston (3-0) on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Wiers led Towson in nearly every category this weekend, knocking down 23 kills at a .488 hitting percentage, taking 41 swings with just three errors. Wiers, who leads the league in hitting percentage, averaged 3.29 kills per set. Defensively, Wiers was a terror at the net, finishing with 12 total blocks, increasing her league-leading average with 1.71 blocks per set over the weekend. Wiers had a hand (pun intended) in nearly half of the Tigers' 25 total blocks for the weekend.

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 285 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) 285 - Silvia Grassini - 2017-Present

The 50 Nifty
The NCAA released its most recent Rankings Percentage Index (RPI) earlier this week and there is a familiar face in the top 50. The Tigers checked in this week's RPI at 48 with an 18-2 overall record, including 6-1 on the road, 8-1 at home and 4-0 at neutral sites.

"Official" Regional Rankings
While not quite official, the AVCA recently released a regional ranking poll compiled by Rich Kern. The Tigers rank fifth in the East Region, trailing only Power Five members Pittsburgh, Louisville, Notre Dame and Florida State. Beyond Towson, the remainder of the East Region poll includes Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Georgia Tech and Winthrop.

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 2,977 assists in her career. She is 102 shy of surpassing Mary Clare Coghlan's fourth-place mark of 3,078.

Wonders is having a career season in 2019, pushing up 744 assists in just 67 sets, averaging 11.10 per set. Her total to date already ranks 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 61-23 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 8-1 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 22 through 20 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 16 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, is second in the conference with a 1.31 per-set average. Grassini is currently third in the league with a 1.18 average while Finckel is fifth in the league at a 1.11 clip. Towson is one of two programs in the league with multiple players averaging a block per set and is the only team in the conference with three.

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 is ranked first and second, respectively, in the CAA in hitting percentage. Wiers leads the league at a .432 percentage, scoring 160 kills on 296 swings with 32 errors. Grassini is second with a .422 hitting percentage on 150 kills, 282 attempts and 31 errors. Towson is the only program in the league with multiple players in the top five. 

Getcha Brooms Out
The Tigers are a perfect 14-0 in three-set matches this season, sweeping Charleston (25-18, 25-21, 25-16) on Sunday. Under head coach Don Metil, the Tigers are 83-25 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.