First Serve
The Tigers hit the long and winding road for the next few weeks of league playing, kicking off this weekend at Charleston in the Tigers first trip to South Carolina in two years, opening a pair on Saturday at TD Arena.

In The National Rankings
Neither team was mentioned on the Week 6 (Oct. 4) AVCA Coaches Poll.

The On-The-Road-Again Tigers
For just the second time this fall, Towson hit the road and heads out of state, this time swinging south to Charleston, South Carolina. Towson is 3-1 on the road this season, picking up its last road match at Hofstra. Towson is coming off a 3-1 win over Elon on Sunday, cooling the Phoenix's hot start to league play. Fay Bakodimou leads a balanced attack for Towson, averaging 2.82 kills per set. Nina Cajic is close behind with a 2.63 per-set average. Emily Jarome (2.44), Lydia Wiers (2.22) and Morgan Wilson (2.18) all average north of 2.00 kills per set. Of Towson's regular hitters, Wiers leads the team with a .384 hitting percentage, which ranks 43rd in Division I and best in the CAA, per NCAA's Extended Stats on Oct. 5. Cajic (.384), Morgan Wilson (.311) and Nikiya Mitchell (.308) all hit about .300 this fall. Three Tigers put away at least one block per set, led by Wiers' 1.13 per set. Mitchell (1.05) and Cajic (1.00) are close behind. Rachel Hess leads Towson on the back row, acrobatically grabbing 4.21 digs per set. She ranks 56th in the country in total digs, hauling in 265 already this fall. Nearly an even split at setter, Kristin Spengler averages 6.13 assists per set while Megan Wilson puts up 6.03 on average. Towson has one of the best serving corps in the country, putting down 127 total aces, which ranks third in Division I behind only Robert Morris (133) and Saint Louis (132). Bakodimou leads Towson with 35 aces, averaging 0.58 per set this fall. She ranks 10th in the country in aces per set and fourth in total aces.

Scouting the Cougars
Charleston enters this weekend's pair of matches with a 10-7 overall record, including a 303 mark in CAA action. The Cougars bested William & Mary twice last weekend, picking up a four-set win on Saturday and a sweep on Sunday. Gabi Bailey paces Charleston with 3.03 kills per set, with Lexi Wierzbicki (2.66) and Anna Smith (2.64) both going above 2.50 per set. Middle blocker Molly Russell carries a team-best .366 hitting percentage with 104 kills on 227 swings with just 21 errors. Emma Falk leads the net defense with 1.08 blocks per set. Claire Campbell (0.97) is nearing the 1.00 blocks per set threshold as well. Libero Sammy Campion gets 4.84 digs per set on average, with Bailey in second at 2.31. The latter leads the team in service aces with 26 total. As a team, Charleston is an even split with 110 service aces, but has allowed 110 reception errors as well.

Towson-Charleston By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Charleston Leads 11-5
at Towson Charleston 5-3
at Charleston Charleston 6-2
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Sept. 1, 2007 (CofC 3, Towson 0)
Last Meeting April 2, 2021
Towson 3-0
Streak Towson +3

It Has Not Been a Minute.
Charleston and Towson will meet for the second and third time this calendar year, with the first meeting coming back on April 2 in the CAA Championship Semifinal round at SECU Arena.

The unique scheduling for the 2021 season, adding the spring season to the calendar year, means that Towson and Charleston will play three times in the same calendar year in series history.

Last spring, the CAA was divided into North/South divisions. Towson was in the north, Charleston in the south.

Last Time Out vs. Charleston | April 2, 2021 | Towson, Md. | SECU Arena
Nina Cajic led Towson through the CAA Semifinals at SECU Arena in the spring, putting down 15 kills in just three sets against the Cougars, hitting .448 through the match with 29 swings and just two errors. Emily Jarome added 11 kills while Kristin Spengler ran the offense with 38 assists. Jarome (13), Fay Bakodimou (12) and Rachel Hess (12) aided a balanced back row. Lydia Wiers controlled the net with six total blocks including five assisted stops. Six different Tigers finished the match with multiple blocks. Lexi Wierzbicki and Logan Pope paced Charleston with seven kills. Logan Manusky led with 11 digs as the Charleston libero.

With a Win Over Charleston on Saturday, Towson Would...
- Improve to 4-1 on the road this fall.
- Pick up its fourth-straight win over the Cougars.
- Win its second-straight road CAA match, paired with a Sunday win at Hofstra (Sept. 19).

Everyone on the Block
- If you're attacking Towson's defense, you're going to have a LOT of hands in your face.
- As of Oct. 5, Towson is ranked sixth in the country in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a combined .124.
- The Tigers rank 34th in Division I in blocks per set (2.55) and lead the CAA in that category.
- Towson is seventh in the country in total blocks at 160.5.
- Towson's set a program record on Sept. 3 against Loyola Maryland, stuffing the Greyhounds 21 times in five sets. Lydia Wiers was accounted for on 11 total blocks in the match, tied for the third-most by a Tiger in program history. She is one of three players in program history to hit 11 total blocks in the 25 point rally scoring era (2008-present), joining Susan Gansor (vs. UNH, 2011) and Shelynne Hoyt (vs. Penn, 2009).

Five-Headed Monster
- Like the Hydra of Greek mythology, Towson's offense is a multi-headed monster for opponents.
- Five Tigers average better than two kills per set, led by a 2.82 average from Fay Bakodimou. Nina Cajic (2.63), Emily Jarome (2.44), Lydia Wiers (2.22) and Morgan Wilson (2.18) are all north of that 2.00 bench mark.
- Each of those five players have at least three matches this fall with double digits, made more impressive by Morgan Wilson coming in as a reserve starter for a few matches for injuries.
- Towson is one of three teams in the CAA with five players averaging 2.00 kills per set, joined by a quintet from James Madison and Northeastern.
- Delaware, William & Mary, Charleston, UNCW and Hofstra all have three players at 2.00 or better while Elon has a pair at the threshold.

The Ace of Spades (The Ace of Spades)
- Towson's serving was on point last weekend as the Tigers combined for 14 service aces during league play, dropping in seven aces on Saturday and another seven on Sunday.
- Towson served up 27 aces in the opening weekend with another 32 coming in the Towson Invitational, followed by 25 aces at the Tiger Invitational.
- Towson is ranked 12th in the most recent NCAA Extended Stats (Oct. 5), averaging 2.02 aces per set. Fay Bakodimou ranks fourth in Division I with 35 total aces.
- The Tigers are third in the country in total aces (127), despite playing just 63 total sets.
- Only Robert Morris (133) and Saint Louis (132) have scored more aces than Towson this fall.

What Conference Are We In???
- Through the first three weekends of the season, Towson has played opponents from five different conferences: America East, Horizon, Ivy, MEAC and Patriot League.
- It feels like the Tigers may be an associate member of the America East, MEAC or Patriot League, having played opponents from those leagues twice.
- Towson added Conference USA (FAU) and American Athletic Conference (Temple) to the mix this weekend.
- Towson has more wins in two different conferences this year 3-0 MEAC, 3-0 Patriot) than it did in the spring, playing in (and winning!) two CAA matches in the offset season.

Mr. 400
- During opening weekend, Towson head coach Don Metil picked up the 400th win of his head coaching career, coming in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Navy.
- Entering the spring 2021 season, Metil is 42nd among NCAA coaches with a minimum five years as a Division I head coach.
- Metil is 412-201 all-time (.673) as a head coach.
- Metil's records by school: Notre Dame College: 40-30 | Lees-McRae: 30-9
Coppin State: 15-46 | Maryland Eastern Shore: 145-45 | Towson: 182-71
- Metil is second all-time in wins at Towson University.
- Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Don Metil: 182-71 (2013-Pres.) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)

Two Legs vs Four Legs
- Mascots come in all shapes, sizes, animals and breeds and people. But that hasn't stopped the Tigers this season.
- Towson's 2021 vs. Two-Legged Mascots: 4-1
- Towson's 2021 vs. Four-Legged Mascots: 12-1
- This week's opponent, Charleston, is represented by the four-legged Cougar.
- In 2019, the Tigers went 17-1 against mascots with four legs (Bobcats, Bears, Tigers, Great Danes, Greyhounds, Wildcats, Dukes (dog), Huskies, Pride (lions), Tribe (griffin), Cougars, and Nittany Lions).
- Two of Towson's 2019 losses came against two-legged foes, the Scarlet Knights and Chanticleers, before falling to the four-legged Nittany Lions.
- Towson went 3-1 in 2020/1 against four-legged mascots, topping Stony Brook (Seawolves), Charleston (Cougars) and Northeastern (Huskies) but falling to Dayton (see last line).
- Towson's opponent in Spring 2021, the Dayton Flyers, are in the four-legged category (Orville and Wilbur Wright). (This is according to an impromptu Twitter poll).

Birds of a Feather
- Bird mascots are very popular, it seems, on the Towson schedule.
- The Tigers will play nine matches this fall against feathered foes.
- Towson had won its last 15 matches against bird-related mascots before dropping the Saturday match against Elon.
- Towson is 6-1 against bird mascots in 2021. The Tigers play six more matches in the regular season against feathered foes.
- The Tigers will not play a single bird opponent on the road during the regular season.

Protect this House
- Since moving into SECU Arena full time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 79-24 overall record at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers have four seasons with double digit wins, including an 11-1 mark in 2021
- The Tigers finished 2018 strong at home with a three-match win streak.
- The Tigers finished 2019 with a 12-1 overall mark at SECU Arena, with an 8-0 mark in the CAA.
- Towson is already 11-1 this fall at SECU Arena with nine sweeps in 12 chances.

In a ______ State of Mind
- Towson has played opponents from all over the eastern seaboard and the eastern portion of the midwest.
- To date, Towson has played at least one match against opponents from eight different states
- Maryland: 4 | New York: 4 | Pennsylvania: 2 | North Carolina: 4 | Ohio: 1 | New Jersey: 1 | Virginia: 1 | Florida: 1)
- Towson adds South Carolina to the mix this weekend with a pair at Charleston.

Wins on Wins on Wins on Wins
Over the last five seasons, the Tigers have been a tough out for opponents. Between 2016 and 2020, the Tigers racked up a 103-34 overall record, which ranks 25th among NCAA Division I teams in terms of total wins in that span. With a winning percentage of .752 over the last five years, Towson ranks 22nd among fellow Division I teams in terms of winning percentage.

Tigers in the Community
- For the 7th consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.
- Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.
- Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.
- Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.