TOWSON, Md. -- After looking scary good in the first two sets, the Towson University women's volleyball team looked zombie-esque in the third and fourth sets before climbing out of the grave to win a five-set Thriller over University of Delaware on Halloween Day at SECU Arena.

Nikiya Mitchell was frighteningly good for the Tigers (21-3, 9-3 CAA) in the fifth set against Towson's longtime Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival. The middle from Bryans Road, Maryland touched down four kills in the fifth set, adding a block as well as the Tigers won the fifth thanks to a 12-1 run.

Towson put five players in double-digit kills, led by another 16 from Wilmington, Delaware native Emily Jarome. The senior had her second-straight double-double against the Blue Hens with 15 digs. Irbe Lazda notched 11 kills while Fay Bakodimou, Lydia Wiers and Nikiya Mitchell all scored 10 kills. Kristin Spengler and Megan Wilson combined for 53 assists thanks to 32 from the former and 21 from the latter. Spengler added a double with her 13 digs as well. Rachel Hess led the match with 22 digs.

Delaware (11-12, 6-8 CAA) had just one player in double figures as Lauryn Richardson finished with 14 kills and a .393 hitting percentage. Lily Rogers posted nine kills and a .389 percentage. Delaware hit for .157 on the day, an improvement from its .130 hitting percentage Friday night. Rogers had a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs.

How it Happened

• Set one belonged to Towson very quickly as the Tigers opened a 15-6 lead in the first 21 serves of the day. Towson put its lead into double figures at 18-7 thanks to two Bakodimo kills and a Mitchell-Lazda block.
• The Tigers continued to pour it on late in the set, taking a commanding 22-9 lead before finishing the first set on a 3-1 run for a 25-12 decision. Towson's defense limited Delaware to runs no longer than two points, holding the Blue Hens to a -.107 hitting percentage in the first set.
• The second set was a little tighter early before Towson, which led 5-4, went on a 4-0 run to open a gap to 9-4. The Hens cut the lead to three at 10-7, but five straight kills from Towson, with two from Bakodimou alongside Jarome, Wiers and Sara Wasiakowska, doubled the lead to 15-7.
• Delaware pulled back to an 18-14 lead for the Tigers but a 3-0 run got Towson to a 21-14 lead. Delaware took a 3-0 run and cut things back to 21-17 but Towson's offense finished things with a 4-0 run on four straight kills from Jarome twice, Lazda and Wiers. Towson took a 2-0 lead with the 25-17 decision.
• Backs against the wall, Delaware jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the third set before a Towson run deadlocked the frame at 7-7. Part of the rally back was a 7-1 run that gave the Tigers a 10-8 advantage.
• Delaware hung around in the third set as the teams traded chances before a 6-1 Blue Hen burst put the visitors ahead 22-17.
• Trailing 23-20, Towson fought back with a 4-0 run and got to a would-be match point, 24-23, but two straight points from Hens pushed things to extra points, Delaware leading 25-24. Towson fought off set point and led 26-25, again on match point thanks to a Jarome ace that was reviewed and confirmed to get Towson to 26. 
• Delaware took the set 28-26 behind a 3-0 run with kills from Kirah Johnson, Savannah Seemans and an ace from Ezgi Basaranlar to push the action to a fourth set.
• The Blue Hens carried their momentum into the fourth set, quickly grabbing a 7-2 lead. Towson struggled to find its momentum as Delaware nearly doubled up the Tigers 17-9. The Tigers could not pull back to within four of the Hens in the fourth set as Delaware pushed Towson to a fifth set, the first five setter between teams since 2015.
• Whatever momentum Delaware had after the third and fourth sets, Towson found in the fifth. After the action was tied 3-3, Towson went for its 12-1 run to finish things off at SECU Arena. That run started with a Blue Hen service error, while adding five more unanswered points. Mitchell had a literal hand in four straight points with three kills and a block with Lazda, who added a kill early in the run as well. Towson led 9-3. Delaware's final point of the day came on a Richardson kill for a 9-4 Towson lead before the Tigers nailed the coffin shut with a 6-0 run, five of which were earned points, that featured a kill and two aces from Bakodimou, and two kills from Jarome.

Behind the Numbers

• Towson has won its last 10 matches against Delaware, dating back to the first meeting in 2017. Sunday's showdown was the first time Delaware won multiple sets against Towson since Delaware's last win in 2016.
• Jarome finished with a match-high 16 kills on Sunday, adding to her total of 15 from Friday night for a 31-kill weekend against a team down the road from her hometown. 
• Lazda had her second double-digit kill outing as a member of the Tiger program with 11. Bakodimou, Wiers and Mitchell all added 10 kills. Mitchell's 10 kills on Sunday are a career-best for the senior middle blocker.
• Both sides finished with 10 total blocks. Towson was led by five each from Lazda and Wiers while Mitchell added three.
• Hess gathered another 22 digs on Sunday, adding up 38 for the weekend.
• Jarome, Spengler and Bakodimou added two service aces apiece. Bakodimou's pair came in the crucial fifth set, extending her ace streak to nine straight matches with at least one.
• Nina Cajic returned to the court for Towson, coming off an upper body injury. It was her first appearance since Sept. 25 against UNCW as she entered in the fourth set for the Tigers.
• With the win, Towson secured a berth in the 2021 CAA Championship Tournament, which will be held at SECU Arena Nov. 18-20.

Up Next for Towson

• It's a clash at the top of the CAA standings for the Tigers next weekend as Towson travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia for a pair at James Madison.
• First serve on Saturday is slated for an 11 a.m. start time at Sinclair Gymnasium, followed by a 1 p.m. showdown on Sunday at the same venue.
• Both matches will be carried on FloVolleyball.