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Now Loading: Women's Volleyball
Sara Wasiakowska and Nikiya MItchell Block vs UNCW
3
Winner Towson Towson 18-3,6-3 CAA
1
William & Mary W&M 3-11,0-9 CAA
Winner
Towson Towson
18-3,6-3 CAA
3
Final
1
William & Mary W&M
3-11,0-9 CAA
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Towson Towson 25 22 25 25 (3)
William & Mary W&M 14 25 14 15 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | John Stark

Defense Reigns for Volleyball in Four Set Win

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- The defense for Towson University women's volleyball was in fine form after a bye week, helping lead the Tigers to a 3-1 win on the road at William & Mary's Kaplan Arena Friday night.

Towson (18-3, 6-3 CAA) registered 17.5 total blocks against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe William & Mary, with redshirt senior middle blocker Nikiya Mitchell factoring in on 11 total blocks, a career-best outing. Mitchell ties a team season best with Lydia Wiers, who finished with 11 blocks in a five set match against Loyola Maryland earlier this year.

Adding to the net defense, Rachel Hess tallied 23 digs on the night while on offense, Fay Bakodimou led with 14 kills on 25 swings and a .350 hitting percentage. Bakodimou added three aces and six blocks as well. Emily Jarome was a dig shy of a double-double, scoring 12 kills and nine digs. Wiers and Irbe Lazda checked in with five blocks each.

William & Mary (3-11, 0-9 CAA) was led by nine kills from Julia Brown, while Anne Louie Seekford notched eight. The Tribe finished with a dozen blocks, led by six from Sabrina Malcolm and five each from Brown and Lauren Merrill. William & Mary was limited to a .056 hitting percentage, held to .000 and -.100 in sets three and four.

How it Happened
  • Towson controlled the action early, taking a 6-1 lead in the first set. William & Mary climbed back to a two-point, 11-9 set but a 4-0 run from Towson, which included kills from Wiers, Bakodimou and Morgan Wilson, along with a Bakodimou-Wiers block, put Towson up 15-9.
  • After the homeside made it 19-13, the Tigers reeled off a 6-1 run to finish the set, battling through a William & Mary timeout, for the 25-14 decision. 
  • Out of the set break, William & Mary took control of the second set with a 5-2 lead. The Tribe eventually doubled up the Tigers at 10-5 before Towson worked its way back to a two-point, 13-11 deficit. William & Mary put together a 5-1 run for an 18-12 lead before Towson responded with a 4-0 run to make it a two-point set again at 18-16.
  • The sides traded chances but it was William & Mary that pulled away late with a 3-1 finishing flourish for a 25-22 set victory.
  • Coming back from the long set break, the teams traded blows before Towson worked an 8-4 lead thanks to a 5-1 burst. Jarome added two kills and was part of a triple block in the run with Wiers and Sara Wasiakowska. 
  • William & Mary pulled back to within one point at a 9-8 Tiger lead but the visitors rallied with a 7-1 run for a 16-9 lead. It was Towson's turn again to double the lead at 20-10 before capping the set with a 3-1 run for a 25-14 decision and a 2-1 match lead.
  • It was all Towson early in the fourth set as the Tigers took a 6-2 lead, a run that included three straight blocks, all of which included Mitchell. The Tribe capitalized on Towson miscues and pulled within one at 7-6 Towson, but the Tiger defense limited Tribe runs and strung together eight unanswered points, fighting over both William & Mary fourth-set timeouts.
  • The sides traded chances and it was enough for the Tigers to hold on for a 25-15 decision and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Behind the Numbers
  • Mitchell finished with a career-best 11 blocks, bringing her career total as a Tiger to 19, including a previous career-best eight against the Tribe in the team's last meeting on Nov. 17, 2019 at SECU Arena.
  • Towson's 17.5 total blocks are the fifth-most for the Tigers in a single match in program history and the third-most in the 25-point rally scoring era. Towson had 21 total blocks in the match against Loyola Maryland.
  • Bakodimou led Towson's offense with 14 kills while Jarome finished with a match second-best 12. Kristin Spengler added 21 assists as Megan Wilson posted a dozen. Spengler notched 10 digs for the sixth double-double of her career and third this season.
  • Hess added 23 digs on the backline for the Tigers, nearly doubling the match second-best. William & Mary got a dozen digs each from Maddie Meyers and Anna Porter.
  • Towson hit for .217 in the match, dipping below .200 in just one set, the second, going for .158 in the set the Tigers dropped. Wiers hit .444 with her five kills on nine swings with one error.
  • One of the best defensive teams in the country, Towson continued to limit opponents to low percentages, holding the Tribe to .056 in the match. William & Mary hit at a .270 clip in its lone set win. Entering Friday's match, the Tigers were ranked fourth in Division I in opponent hitting percentage (.125).
Up Next for Towson
  • The volleyball team bookends a busy Towson weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia on Saturday.
  • Towson returns to Kaplan Arena for a second match against the Tribe with a 7:30 p.m. first serve.
  • Four Towson teams are set to compete against William & Mary tomorrow: men's and women's swimming and diving at 1 p.m., football at 3:30 p.m. and the volleyball match to wrap the five-event weekend in Williamsburg.
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