BOX SCORE NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- After falling in five sets to the same team a year ago, the Towson University women's volleyball team exacted revenge in sweeping fashion, knocking off Princeton University 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-14) Saturday morning.

The victory improved Towson (5-1) to 2-1 at the Rutgers Invitational, hosted all weekend at the Scarlet Knights' College Ave. Gym. The Tigers fell in the opener to Rutgers before topping Virginia in the night cap on Friday.

Towson had a balanced attack; no players scored double-digit kills, but six Towson Tigers registered kills. The Black & Gold was led by eight kills from rookie Lydia Wiers and Olivia Finckel. Towson posted nine total blocks, including three from Silvia Grassini, who added three service aces.

Princeton (0-2) had 14 kills from Devon Peterkin while Natasha Skov knocked down eight. Jessica Harris posted a team-best 20 assists as the Black & Orange scored just three service aces.

How It Happened

• Both sides traded blows in the early goings of the opening set, which featured four ties in the first eight serves, with neither team gaining more than a one-point edge.
• Towson took a 10-7 lead that forced a Princeton timeout behind a 4-0 Black & Gold run that two kills from Wiers, a block from Finckel and Wiers and a service ace from Jarome.
• In the middle of the first set, Towson held Princeton at bay, keeping at least a two-point buffer and building to a 17-13 lead before the Black & Orange Tigers called timeout following a 3-0 Towson run.
• Princeton used a 6-1 burst to deadlock the first set at 19-19, aided by several errors on the Towson side of the net.
• The tie resparked Towson's sense of urgency as Towson capped the opening set on a 6-2 run for a 25-21 decision. Annie Ertz, Finckel and Grassini put down kills in succession to spark the run.
• Set two began in similar fashion with three ties in the first 10 serves before Towson went on a 3-0 burst to take a 10-7 lead and forced a Princeton timeout. The Black & Orange Tigers responded to the break and opened with a three-point run to tie the action at 7-7 and again at 8-8.
• With Towson leading 13-12, Princeton put together a 6-2 run and took its biggest lead of the second set at 18-15. But Towson responded with a 4-1 burst and retied the set for a 10th time at 19 all, forcing a Princeton timeout. Camryn Allen dropped an ace that pushed the Ivy Leaguers to a pause.
• Both sides traded shots late in the set and were tied at 23 before Grassini knocked down a kill and comboed with Wonders for an assisted block to close the set 25-23.
• Once again, the third set began as the first and second did, featuring several ties before Towson went on a 7-1 run for a 9-4 lead and a Princeton timeout. It was another service ace the pushed Princeton to the pause button as Grassini scored her third service ace of the match.
• Out of the break, Towson continued to control the set as Grassini put in another ace followed by a Jarome kill to extend the run to 9-1 and an 11-4 advantage. But Princeton responded with a 4-0 run of its own to pull back within three, 11-8 Towson.
• Towson put down a 7-3 run late in the set to build its advantage out to 19-11. The Tigers continued the onslaught by putting together several back-to-back points before capping the sweep with a 25-14 decision in the final frame.

Behind the Numbers

• The Tigers had a balanced attack with six different players posting kills. Finckel and Wiers had eight apiece.
• Wonders put up a match-high 34 assists. Allen notched 14 digs for Towson while Ertz finished with eight.
• Grassini led Towson's efforts at the net with three total blocks as Ertz and Finckel combined for two apiece.
• Towson's hitting percentage improved as the match continued, hitting .178 in the first before knocking down at a .356 in the second. Towson capped the match with a .407 in the third, finishing at .255 for the match. Grassini (.667), Wonders (.571) and Wiers (.500) all hit over 50 percent.
• This was Towson's fourth sweep of the young 2019 season. It was Towson's first win over Princeton since a similar sweet in 2016.

Up Next for Towson

• For the first time in 2019, the Towson Tigers will host an event at SECU Arena.
• The Tigers welcome UAlbany, Coastal Carolina and Youngstown State to town for the annual Towson Invitational.
• Towson's first match will be Friday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. against the Penguins of Youngstown State.
• The first official match of the Towson Invitational will pit UAlbany against Coastal Carolina at 10:30 a.m.