As Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is success an overnight accomplishment.

That idea was on display during the 2019 season for the Towson University women's volleyball team. For the program to claim its first-ever win in an NCAA Tournament, the Tigers endured peaks and valleys over a three-year stretch leading to that moment.

For this week's Tiger Throwback presented by Hollenshades, we take a look back at the timeline leading Towson to a five-set thriller over American in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.

August 25-September 24, 2017
Towson reels off 16 straight wins to open the season, collecting wins in five different states and opening Colonial Athletic Association play at 2-0.

September 22-November 17, 2017
The Tigers finish CAA Play with a 12-4 mark, securing the second seed in the CAA Tournament before falling to James Madison.

November 30, 2017
Towson squares off with Colgate in Hamilton, New York in the opening round of the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The Tigers hit the reverse sweep for a five-set victory, picking up the program's first-ever win in a postseason tournament.

August 24-October  27, 2018
It's a peaks-and-valley season for Towson; a challenging schedule against quality opponents helps the Tigers sharpen their edge before going 10-6 in league play.

October 29-November 9, 2018
Towson finishes the regular season with five-straight CAA wins, including three sweeps. A week later, the No. 4 Tigers sweep Northeastern in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament, drawing top-seeded Hofstra the next day.

Nov. 17, 2018
After falling behind 2-0, the Tigers rally back and force five sets against the Pride. Towson dominates the third set for a 25-15 win. The Tigers fall 15-10 in the fifth set to the eventual champion Pride. 

This exit for the Tigers becomes a pearl-in-the-clam's mouth, know they didn't play peak volleyball and looking towards 2019.

September 13, 2019
After opening the 2019 season at 7-1, the Tigers battle Coastal Carolina in their home tournament at SECU Arena. The sides swap set wins, with Towson taking the first and third and the Chanticleers grabbing the second and fourth sets. 

Towson had the chance to shut the door on Coastal in the fourth set, holding a 19-12 lead late in the frame. The Chanticleers battled to a 24-23 lead as both sides traded several set points. Coastal won the fourth set 32-30 and forced a fifth frame.

Coastal Carolina uses a five-point run in the middle of the fifth set to take control at 10-6 before winning the deciding set 15-8. 

The loss does not sit well with Towson in the locker room after the match. Knowing they did not play their best volleyball, the Tigers silently vow to play as high-level volleyball as they can night in and night out.

September 14, 2020-December 6, 2020
True to its word, Towson bounces back half a day later, dominating another NCAA Tournament qualifier UAlbany 3-0, sparking a program-record 23-match winning streak. That winning streak includes a 16-0 CAA record, the first team to ever win 16 league matches in a CAA season. 

At the 2019 CAA Tournament, Regular Season Champion and top-seeded Towson buzzes through No. 5 Elon 3-1 before sweeping second-seeded James Madison for the program's second-ever CAA Championship and first since the 2004 campaign.

December 6, 2020
Towson draws American University in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are a perennial berth in the Tournament, winning the Patriot League championship on a near-annual basis.

The Friday evening match at Rec Hall on the campus of host Penn State is the first meeting between Towson and American since the 2010 season. Since 1980, the Tigers are 4-14 all-time against American. The last Towson win was in 1996.

3:10 p.m. - The Tigers arrive at Rec Hall for the match. The atmosphere in the locker room is loose; music plays on the team's portable speaker. Some players are dancing as part of their match-day routine, others have headphones in, as is their wont.

4 p.m. - Towson and American begin the formal warmup process in Rec Hall.

5 p.m. - First serve goes up at Rec Hall. Towson's Emily Jarome gets the first kill of the match. The opening set is tight. Neither side gives and inch, nor can either team gain more than a three-point advantage. 

5:30 p.m. - Towson trails 23-22 in the first set. Head coach Don Metil calls timeout. 

5:37 p.m. - The timeout works, Towson reels off three-straight points and claims a 25-23 set victory to go up 1-0 in the match.

5:44 p.m. - Towson falls behind early in the second set, trailing 9-1. 

6 p.m. - American ties the match 1-1 with a 25-15 win in the second set. Towson hits negative in the frame, the Eagles block five times in the set.

6:13 p.m. - Towson takes a 12-8 lead in the third set behind a 3-0 run, including an ace from Jarome.

6:29 p.m. - The Tigers fend off a rally by American that made it 20-18, aided by scoring three of the last four points for Towson for a 23-21 advantage. Olivia Finckel has 14 kills in the match at this point.

6:32 p.m. - Back-to-back points put Towson up 2-1 in the match thanks to a 25-22 set win. Finckel is swinging at a .500 percentage with 15 kills on 26 attempts through three sets.

6:44 p.m. - Towson is not feeling it on the left side of the court, falling behind 13-5 in the fourth set, burning its second timeout.

6:58 p.m. - With the Tigers trailing 13-6, Silvia Grassini takes control. The middle blocker scores a kill before serving 11 straight points to rally the Tigers to a 17-13 lead in the fourth set. Grassini never loses rhythm despite two challenges (one from each team) and a fire alarm malfunction that halted the match.

7:11 p.m. - American re-rallies and takes the fourth set 25-22.

7:19 p.m. - Still on the unfavored left side of the court, Towson trails 7-5 in the fifth set before the changeover. 

7:24 p.m. - Towson strings together three-straight points, taking a 10-8 lead in the fifth set.

7:28 p.m. - Tigers lead 12-11 after a 3-0 run by American. Towson calls timeout.

7:30 p.m. - The teams trade points. Towson leads 13-11. American timeout.

7:34 p.m. - HISTORY.

Towson knocks out American 15-12 in the fifth set. It marks the program's first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. It is the first time a CAA program wins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since the 2011 season. The entire team storms the court to celebrate the historic moment. 

7:40 p.m. - Towson Locker room - Celebrations abound. Team captain Marrisa Wonders and others debate the Gatorade shower for head coach Don Metil. Dancing and loud music emanate from the small room in the old building. 

7:55 p.m. - Head coach Don Metil announces to the team that WINNERS GET ICE CREAM. Team trek to Penn State's famed Creamery. (The team enjoys its ice cream the next day).

8 p.m. - Pizza arrives in the locker room. The team refuels for the second round before heading back out to Rec Hall to watch Princeton and Penn State battle for the right to face Towson.

9 p.m. - Like Hobbits and their second breakfasts, the Tigers grab a second dinner of sandwiches before returning to the hotel, just blocks from Rec Hall. It's up and at 'em the next day for the second round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 11 Penn State.

It was a season of history for the Tigers. That history doesn't happen on Dec. 6, 2020 without years of alumnae paving the way for the program. The 2019 seniors were sophomores in 2017, laying one of the early bricks in the foundation.

Individual awards pile up for the Tigers. Various All-America honors, academic awards, etc., but those 21 student-athletes, three coaches and various support staff will always have a place in Towson lore as the first Tiger women's volleyball team to claim victory in the NCAA Tournament.