HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Playing its second match in the last three days on the road, the Towson University women's volleyball team handled the pressure of playing the preseason favorite and won 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-15) at James Madison Sunday afternoon at Sinclair Gymnasium.

The Tigers (12-2, 2-0 CAA) improved to 2-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for the first time since the 2017 campaign behind a versatile attack. Three Towson players logged double-digit kills, backed by a team-best 15 from Emily Jarome. Rookie Lydia Wiers added a dozen while Annie Ertz had 10 and an 11-dig double-double.

James Madison (8-5, 2-1) suffered its first loss in league play. Briley Brind'Amour was the lone Duke with double-digit kills and was limited to just two total blocks. M'Kaela White had five total blocks with eight kills. Sarah Martin posted 36 assists for James Madison while Savannah Marshall had a match-best 17 digs. 

How it Happened

• Towson eliminated a 6-3 deficit in the first set by ripping off six-straight points, behind three kills from Jarome and an ace from Ertz. The Tigers took a 9-6 advantage before the Dukes called timeout.
• Out of the break, Towson continued its momentum and went up 11-7. James Madison rallied back and tied the match before both sides deadlocked at 11, 12 13, 14 and 15 before the Dukes went on a 3-0 run for an 18-15 lead and a Tiger timeout.
• Towson's pause worked as the Tigers reeled off six-straight points out of the break, aided by three block assists from Silvia Grassini, Wonders and Jarome for a 21-18 advantage.
• After a Dukes' timeout at 18-18, Towson ripped off a 6-1 burst to take the first set 25-19.
• Set number two was a back-and-forth throughout with the set tied eight times in the first 40 serves of the set. Late in the second, both sides continued to trade blows, including big kills from Towson's middle blockers, Grassini and Wiers. A Towson service error tied at 23-23 and a James Madison block finished the second set in favor of the hosts 25-23. The Tigers hit at a .205 percentage for the second set.
• After dropping its first set in two weeks, the Tigers responded in set three. Like the first two sets, the third was tight in the early goings. But the Tigers strung together several small runs, building up to an 18-9 lead. Towson's versatile offense appeared as Finckel, Jarome and Ertz knocked down several kills in the first half of the set. Camryn Allen continued her service ace streak with a perfect serve in the early runs.
• James Madison challenged late in the third, but Towson's 23-12 advantage was too large to overcome before Towson scored two of the final three points of the set for a 25-16 decision.
• Towson carried its momentum into the fourth set after jumping out to a quick 7-3 lead and forcing a James Madison timeout. Kills by Finckel, Ertz and Jarome helped Towson build the early lead.
• Out of the break, Towson continued to push the pace with another 4-2 burst, forcing the Dukes into their second timeout. Out of the second pause, Towson ripped off another four unanswered points behind a Jarome ace, two Wiers kills and a Finckel point. A bad set by JMU increased Towson's run to 8-0 before a service error ended the run.
• Two Tiger errors coupled with a White kill and an ace from Frye forced Towson into a timeout after a 4-0 run by the Dukes and a 17-10 Towson lead.
• After the timeout, Towson limited James Madison to back-to-back points just once while scoring four of the final five points to seal the fourth set 25-15 and take the match. Towson finished the match with versatility as four different Tigers, Jarome, Wonders, Wiers and Finckel, scored in that 4-1 burst.

Behind the Numbers

• Towson picked up its sixth-straight win on the season while moving to 2-0 in CAA action for the first time since 2017.
• Towson hit for .246 in the match, despite 14 total blocks from the Dukes. Towson limited the hosts to just a .147 hitting percentage, accounting for 10 blocks. 
• Wonders logged her sixth double-double of the season with 44 assists and 11 digs. It was her fourth-straight match with a double.
• Ertz chipped in her second double of the season and first since early September with 10 kills and 11 digs.
• Allen extended her streak to 10 consecutive matches with at least once service ace. The junior libero added a dozen digs to her afternoon as well.
• The second set was the first time Towson has dropped a frame since the fifth set against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 13.
• Towson finishes the month of September with a 9-2 overall mark.

Up Next for Towson

• The Tigers return home to SECU next weekend for a pair of league matches against Northeastern and Hofstra.
• Towson takes on the Huskies Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by a noon start against the Pride on Sunday.
• The Towson versus Hofstra match will be Towson's annual Autism Speaks match.