TOWSON, Md. -- The Towson University women's volleyball team hits the hardwood once again as the Tigers open the 2019 season down the road at the Morgan State Invitational. Towson will play one game on Friday afternoon, followed by a double dip on Saturday at Hill Field House. All three matches will be streamed live on MorganStateBears.com.

First Serve
Towson women's volleyball returns for another season under the guidance of head coach Don Metil, who begins his seventh season at the helm of the program. Towson is coming off a 17-15 season in which it reached the CAA Tournament semifinals, falling to eventual champion Hofstra in five sets.

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

Scouting the Tigers
Towson returns a lot of firepower from last season's squad, including four of the five best kills per set averages. A Preseason Honorable Mention selection, Emily Jarome is top returning threat after knocking down 2.71 kills per frame as an All-Rookie pick. Versatile senior Olivia Finckel was third in kills per set a year ago (2.38), followed by classmates Annie Ertz (2.01) and preseason Honorable Mentionee Silvia Grassini (1.66). Grassini is Towson's top returner at the net, posting nearly a block per set last year (0.94), including 111 assisted blocks. Finckel was close behind with 0.88 blocks per set while assisting 99 times. On the service line, Jarome and Grassini were a one-two punch last season, logging 30 and 26 service aces, respectively. All told, Jarome averaged 3.18 points per set a year ago, followed by Finckel (2.86), Annie Ertz (2.48) and Grassini (2.36). One big question mark for the Tigers will be in the back row as career record holder Anna Holehouse exhausted her eligibility. Despite the hole to fill, Towson has five defensive specialists on the roster, including Camryn Allen, who posted a dig per set in 2018. She will be joined in the back by senior Catie Chervenak, who will challenge for a spot as well as sophomore Alexa Welch and rookies Asia Goins and Ally Townsend. Setting up the offense, Towson sees the return of Marrisa Wonders, who averaged 5.36 assists per set, while Kristin Spengler logged 4.58.

Scouting the Bobcats
Quinnipiac officially kicks off the Morgan State Invitational, taking on CAA foe William & Mary at 10 a.m. Last season the Bobcats went 9-21 overall, but collected seven wins in conference. Morgan Sherwin is the top returning threat in the attack as she posted 3.14 kills per set last season. Marylander Lydia Jones is the next leading attacker back as she knocked down 1.76 kills a frame. At the net, Gabby Horman is the leading blocker back this year after finishing 2018 with 0.85 per set. In the back row, Alejandra Rodriguez leads the way after a season with a 3.37 digs per set average.

Towson-Quinnipiac History
The history between the Tigers and the Bobcats is a brief one. Towson leads the way with a 2-0 mark, winning once at home and once on the road. Friday's match will be the first neutral site meeting between the programs. The teams meet for the first time since Towson swept the Bobcats 3-0 on Sept. 9, 2017. Towson has never dropped a set against Quinnipiac, topped the Bobcats 3-0 in the first meeting on Aug. 30, 2008 in Connecticut.

Towson-Quinnipiac By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 2-0
at Towson  TU 1-0
at Quinnipiac TU 1-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Aug. 30, 2008 - TU 3-0
Last Meeting Sept. 9, 2017
Towson 3, Quinnipiac 0 (Towson, Md.)
Streak Towson +2

Last Time Out vs. Quinnipiac | Sept. 9, 2018 | Towson, Md. | SECU Arena
Towson swept (25-16, 25-20, 25-14) in the last meeting between the programs. The Tigers hit .367 in that match, committing just 12 attack errors. Silvia Grassini, Annie Ertz, Marrisa Wonders, Camryn Allen and Catie Chervenak are the only remaining Tigers that played in that match

Scouting the Pirates
Seton Hall went 10-20 overall last season while finishing 5-12 in the BIG EAST. Hayley Gasser is the leading returner along the attack line, averaging 1.73 kills per set. She is also the top blocker back for the Pirates after posting 0.76 per set in 2018. Sophomore Eden Dolezal is the leading returner in the back row after a rookie season with 334 digs, a 4.07 per-set average.

Towson-Seton Hall History
Saturday will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Tigers and the Pirates. Towson leads the series with a 3-1 advantage. The squads square off for the first time since Sept. 3, 2016, the lone blemish in the record for Towson. The Tigers have a 3-0 advantage in neutral site matches against Seton Hall, however. The last neutral site meeting between the teams came as a 3-2 Towson win on Sept. 16, 2006 at the URI Rams Classic. 

Towson-Seton Hall By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 3-1
at Towson  n/a
at Seton Hall Seton Hall 1-0
at Neutral Sites Towson 3-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Oct. 17, 1986 (Towson 2-0)
Last Meeting Sept. 3, 2016
Seton Hall 3, Towson 1 (South Orange, N.J.)
Streak Seton Hall +1

Last Time Out vs. Seton Hall | Sept. 3, 2016 | South Orange, N.J. | Walsh Gymnasium
The Tigers fell 3-1 on the road against the Pirates of Seton Hall in the conclusion of the Seton Hall Tournament on Sept. 3, 2016. It was the first loss of the season for Towson, which entered the showdown with a 6-0 record. Despite the final score, the first two sets were close with Seton Hall winning 26-24 and 25-23. Towson won the third with a 25-18 decision but the Pirates sealed the win with a 25-19 fourth set. Marrisa Wonders and Annie Ertz are the only two Tigers on this year's roster to have played in that match.

Scouting the Bears
Morgan State finished 2018 with a 13-15 overall mark, posting a 5-5 record in MEAC matches. The Bears bowed out of the MEAC Tournament after a five-set thriller against top-seeded South Florida A&M. Zoe McBride leads the returning attackers after a season with a 3.23 per-set kills average. Setter Roi Wallace is back for her senior season after logging 943 assists last season, averaging 10.14 per set. McBride is the leading blocker back this season, stopping opponents a combined 93 times last season, averaging nearly a block per set. McBridge also led the Bears with 42 service aces in 2018.

Towson-Morgan State History
As can be expected between schools separated by less than five miles, Towson and Morgan State have met quite often. Saturday's match will be the 36th meeting all-time between the programs. Towson leads the all-time series 33-2, including 11-straight victories. The Tigers won the first 22 matches before the Bears posted back-to-back wins in 1998 and 1999. This weekend's clash at Hill Field House will be the first meeting between the schools since a 3-0 Tiger win on Aug. 25, 2012.

Towson-Morgan State By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 33-2
at Towson  15-1
at Morgan State Towson 9-1
at Neutral Sites Towson 6-0
at Unknown Sites Towson 3-0
First Meeting 1976 (Towson 2-0)
Last Meeting Aug. 25, 2012
Towson 3, Morgan State 0
Streak Towson +11

With a Win Friday Towson Would...
- Snare a season-opening win for the first time since 2017, a 3-0 win over Jacksonville State.
- Improve head coach Don Metil to 4-3 in season openers.
- Extend Towson's regular season winning streak to six straight.
- Improve the Tigers to 3-0 all-time against Quinnipiac.

Home Sweet Home(ish)
For a second-straight season, the Tigers will open the year in Baltimore area after kicking off the 2018 season at the Baltimore Bash, hosted by Loyola University. Later this season, the Tigers will host tournaments in back-to-back weekends, leading off with the Towson Invitational (Sept. 13-14) and the Tiger Invitational (Sept. 20-22).

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.

Bring Balance to the Force
Despite graduating some record-setting seniors a year ago, the Tigers return in 2019 with a strong balance of experience and youth. The Tigers return five seniors to the court this year, along with seven true freshman. Included in the fold will be two juniors seven sophomores, including two transfers. 

Preseason Honors
Entering the 2019 season, two Tigers collected preseason honors from the Colonial Athletic Association. Towson saw senior blocker Silvia Grassini and sophomore outside hitter Emily Jarome pick up Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention plaudits. Last season, Jarome was selected to the CAA All-Rookie team after a strong freshman campaign.

SUPER Close Openers
This season, the Tigers will play their first two weekends relatively closeby. After opening the year at the Morgan State Invitational, Towson travels up I-95 for the Rutgers Invitational (Sept. 6-7). Last season, Towson opened the year at the Baltimore Bash at Loyola's Reitz Arena before heading to San Juan for the Puerto Ricó Clasicó.

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 will take on the Bears of Morgan Saturday on Saturday before squaring off with Tigers of a different color against Princeton (Sept. 7). Towson will face Hofstra twice (Oct. 6, Oct. 27), which uses lions for its mascots.
 

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 7^th 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.