TOWSON, Md. -- With the regular season tournament schedule in the rearview mirror, the Towson University women's volleyball team kicks off Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play this weekend with a pair of longtime rivals in Delaware and James Madison.

First Serve
All but one nonconference match remains on the 2019 schedule for Towson as the Tigers open Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) action this weekend with trips to Delaware and James Madison. This marks Towson's 18th season in the CAA after joining the league for the 2002 campaign.

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

Scouting the Tigers
Towson's balanced approach continues to roll as the Tigers' wrapped up a trio of sweeps this past weekend at the Tiger Invitiational, knocking off Loyola, NJIT and UNH in succession. It was Towson's fourth-straight sweep. Sophomore Emily Jarome, tabbed CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, and senior Olivia Finckel lead the TIgers with a 3.03 kills per set average. Jarome has knocked down a team-best 121 kills with Finckel second with 118. Of Towson's starting rotation, rookie middle blocker Lydia Wiers leads with a .423 hitting percentage, with senior middle Silvia Grassini swinging at a .414 percent clip. Jarome leads Towson's outsides with a .224 hitting percentage. Senior setter Marrisa Wonders has hoisted 429 assists this season in just 40 sets, averaging 10.73 per set. Wonders has also dumped in 27 kills. Two Tigers lead the way on the service line; Jarome has 13 aces while Camryn Allen has dropped in 10. Grassini needs one more ace to join the double digit club. Allen backs the Tiger defense with 151 digs to date, averaging 3.78 per frame. Senior Annie Ertz is second with 95 total and a 2.64 per-set average. At the net, Wiers leads the charge with 51 total blocks, with Finckel and Grassini ranking second and third, respectively, with 44 and 42. Wiers averages 1.28 blocks per set while Finckel (1.13) and Grassini (1.05) are also north of one block per set. 

Scouting the Blue Hens
After two matches in Philadelphia over the weekend, Delaware returns to the Bob Carpenter Center with an 8-3 overall record after falling to La Salle in four sets and Villanova in three. Maria Bellinger leads the Blue Hens with a 4.41 kills per set average, with Lani Mason a full kill per set back with a 3.31 average. Ezgi Basaranlar sets for Delaware and has posted 395 assists in 38 sets for a 10.39 average. Four Blue Hens have hit double digit service aces, paced by 16 from Bailey Pearlman while Bellinger has 14. In the back row, Andi Hanus has 165 digs with 4.23 digs per set. Mason is second with 76. At the net, Adelina Rivera is the top blocker with 29 total stops, including three solo efforts. Ayala Plummer is second with 22 total blocks.

Towson-Delaware History
Longtime conference rivals, Towson and Delaware will meet for the 81st time since the 1976 season. Towson leads the all-time series by a narrow 41-39 count, aided by an 18-12 count in Newark. The Tigers have won the last four meetings, including the last three by sweeps. Delaware has not beaten the Tigers in Newark since the 2010 campaign en route to a CAA Championship. Members of both the CAA and the America East Conference (and the East Coast Conference before the name change), Towson and Delaware have met on the volleyball court at least once a year in every year of the Tiger program's history, dating back to 1976. 

Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 41-39
at Towson Delaware 17-15
at Delaware Towson 18-12
at Neutral Sites Towson 8-6
at Unknown Sites Delaware 4-0
First Meeting 1976 Delaware 2-0
Last Meeting Nov. 9, 2018
Towson 3, Delaware 0
Streak Towson +4

Last Time Out vs. Delaware | Nov. 9, 2018 | Newark, Del. | Bob Carpenter Center
It was a season sweep of sweeps for the Tigers as Towson bested Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center in straight sets (28-26, 25-16, 25-23). The Tigers held Delaware to a .075 hitting percentage in the second set as Towson finished the match with 15 blocks. Homestater Emily Jarome finished with a 10-kill, 16-dig double. Marrisa Wonders pushed up 21 assists while Annie Ertz finished with a team third-best 13 digs.

Scouting the Dukes
James Madison enters the weekend with a 6-4 overall record after a challenging nonconference slate. Most recently, the Dukes topped in-state foe VCU in four sets. The Dukes will host UNCW Thursday night to begin league play, followed by a showdown against Charleston on Saturday. Briley Brind'Amour and Sophia Davis lead JMU's attack with a 2.73 kills per set average each. Danielle Nathan is close behind with a 2.20 kills per set average. James Madison's serving is versatile, with four players logging seven service aces apiece. Sarah Martin runs the offense with 238 assists. On defense, Savannah Marshall paces JMU with 145 digs, averaging 4.39 per set. Davis and M'Kaela White have been the go-to blockers with 35 and 33, respectively.

Towson-James Madison By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record JMU 29-27
at Towson  Towson 12-7
at James Madison JMU 15-9
at Neutral Sites JMU 6-4
at Unknown Sites Towson 2-1
First Meeting 1976 (Towson 2-0)
Last Meeting Nov. 7, 2018
Towson 3, James Madison 2
Streak Towson +1

Towson-James Madison History
While Towson and James Madison don't have as long of a history as Towson-Delaware, Sunday won't be the first rodeo for the Tigers and the Dukes. Sunday's match will be the 57th meeting all-time between the programs on the volleyball court. JMU holds a narrow 29-27 edge over the Tigers, who are 9-15 all-time in Harrisonburg. Towson nipped JMU in five sets in the last meeting at SECU Arena. The Tigers are hunting their first win over the Dukes on the road since 3-1 decision in 2017.

With a Win Over Delaware Towson Would...
- Win its fifth-straight over the Blue Hens, Towson's longest winning streak over Delaware since reeling off 10 straight from 2002-06.
- Be Towson's 14th CAA opening win since joining the league in 2002.
- Give the Tigers their fourth-straight win to open league play.
- See Towson win its fifth-straight match, the longest run of wins since six to close out the 2018 regular season and open tournament play.

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 57-23 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 4-1 in SECU Arena this year.

13 Ain't So Bad
For a long time, the number 13 has been associated with bad luck. For the Tigers however, the number is a positive number. All-time in the program's history, the Tigers are 28-15 in their 13th match of the season, dating back to the 1976 campaign. In the Tigers' CAA Era (2002), Towson is 13-4 in its 13th match of the season. Under head coach Don Metil, Towson is a perfect 6-0 in the 13th match of the year.

All-Time CAA Openers
Friday night kicks off the Tigers' 18th season in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The fact that the league opener is Delaware is very apropos as well. Towson and Delaware have long been league foes, dating back to the East Coast Conference, which later became the America East Conference. Since joining the CAA in 2002, Towson is 13-4 in conference lid-lifters. Under head coach Don Metil, Towson is 4-2 in the first CAA match of the year, including winning the last three.

Getcha Brooms Out
Towson has won its last four matches in sweeping fashion, besting UAlbany (Sept. 14), Loyola (Sept. 20), NJIT (Sept. 21) and UNH (Sept. 22) in 12 total sets. The run marks the first time since the middle of the 2016 campaign that the Tigers have reeled off at least four straight sweeps after knocking down Delaware State, James Madison, William & Mary and UNCW in succession in straight sets. So far in 2019, the Tigers are 9-0 in three-set matches.

Jarome, Grassini Named to Tiger Invitational All-Tournament Team
After a strong three matches at the Tiger Invitational, senior middle blocker Silvia Grassini and sophomore outside hitter Emily Jarome were named to the All-Tournament Team. Jarome was selected as the MVP and later added CAA Offensive Player of the Week plaudits to her name.

Jarome had a solid weekend at the Tiger Invitational, collecting MVP and All-Tournament honors. The Wilmington, Delaware native pounded in 34 kills in nine sets as Towson swept all three matches. The heavy-hitting sophomore posted 3.78 kills per set and rallied on defense with 25 digs in three matches. Jarome capped the weekend with a double-double, logging 15 kills and 10 digs against UNH. For the weekend, Jarome hit at a .253 rate en route to the MVP honors.

Grassini knocked down 21 kills on 42 swings with just six attack errors, finishing the three-set matches with a .357 hitting percentage. On the defensive half, she logged a dozen total blocks, including two solo efforts on the weekend against NJIT and UNH. Grassini added two service aces to her line in addition to three digs.

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 six in blocks per set. Wiers the rookie sitting second in the conference with a 1.29 per-set average, trailing only William & Mary's Julia Brown (1.29). Finckel (1.13) is third in the CAA with Grassini (1.05) in sixth. James Madison is the only other CAA program with multiple players averaging over a block per set this season.

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 second and third, respectively, in the CAA in hitting percentage. Wiers hits at a .423 percentage with 89 kills on 168 swings with only 18 errors. She trails James Madison's Sophia Davis (.445). Grassini is third in the league with a .414 hitting percentage. Towson is the only program in the league with multiple players in the top five.

Wiers, Grassini Named Towson Invitational All-Tournament
It was a big weekend for Towson's middle blockers as both freshman Lydia Wiers and senior Silvia Grassini were named to the Towson Invitational All-Tournament team. 

The CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Grassini impressed during the Towson Invitational as the Tigers went 2-1. Grassini was named to the All-Tournament Team for the event after racking up 13 total assists, including seven against Coastal Carolina's high-powered attack. The Italian committed zero blocking errors in 11 sets while adding four digs to her weekend. Grassini was effective offensively as well, knocking down 27 kills, including 10 against Coastal, hitting for .488 over the weekend, including two matches with hitting percentages north of 60 percent.

Wiers continued her impressive play in her first action at SECU Arena, helping lead Towson to a 2-1 weekend during the Towson Invitational. Wiers had 18 total blocks in a new environment, never finishing with less than five stuffs. The Willard, Ohio native hit for .449 over the weekend, taking 49 swings with 28 kills and just six errors. Fighting through size on the blocks, Wiers was stopped just twice all weekend while posting a career-best 14 kills against Coastal in an epic five-setter.

Finckel Named Rutgers Invitational All-Tournament
For the weekend, Finckel logged 39 kills at a 3.55 per-set rate. She posted two service aces, while working at the net for nine assisted blocks, getting up at nearly one per set. Finckel added 14 digs over the three matches as well. 

The 6-foot, 2-inch hitter had her top performance against Virginia, helping Towson knock off an ACC opponent for a third-straight season. In that match, she had 13 kills on 28 swings with five errors for a .286 hitting percentage. She finished with five digs and two blocks against the Cavaliers.

She's a Freshman
After a strong performance to open her intercollegiate career, freshman Lydia Wiers was one of three Tigers named to the Morgan State Invitational All-Tournament Team. She was joined by senior Annie Ertz and sophomore Emily Jarome. Additionally, Wiers was tabbed as the Most Valuable Player after going 21 kills at a .529 rate and nine blocks.

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 freshmen. Included in the fold will be two juniors and seven sophomores, including two transfers. 

The ACC Won't Let Me Be Me
The night cap on Friday, Sept. 6 was the sixth time under head coach Don Metil that the Tigers will square up with an opponent from ACC. Under Metil, the Tigers are now 3-3 against the league, topping Virginia 3-1 at the Rutgers Invitational, The Tigers have won their last three matches against the ACC, with two wins over Virginia and a sweep of Miami last season. In 2017, Towson went 1-1, sweeping Virginia before falling 3-0 against Syracuse in the NIVC Tournament in Hamilton, New York In Metil's first season at Towson (2013), the Tigers fell in both matches against ACC opponents NC State and Virginia Tech, both going to four sets.

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 sweepings Tigers of a different color against Princeton (Sept. 7). Towson will face Hofstra twice (Oct. 6, Oct. 27), which uses lions for its mascots. To date, Towson is 2-0 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.