TOWSON, Md. -- Midway through the third set, Towson University senior volleyball player Emily Jarome logged the 1,000th kill of her Black & Gold career, helping the Tigers to a 3-1 win over visiting Northeastern University Saturday afternoon.

Towson (22-4, 11-4 CAA) fought off a late surge from last season's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) runner-up, topping the Huskies 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18 at SECU Arena to lead off Senior Weekend.

Needing nine kills to become the 15th player in program history to hit the 1,000 kill plateau, Jarome finished with 15 on the day, one behind a team-best 16 from Fay Bakodimou. Nikiya Mitchell teed off for 11 kills at a .529 rate while adding five total blocks to her afternoon.

Three Tigers finished with double-doubles, led by Jarome's 15 kills and 14 digs. Kristin Spengler notched 21 assists and 10 digs while fellow setter Megan Wilson put up 27 assists and another 10 digs.

Northeastern (12-13, 8-7 CAA) was led by a match-high 20 kills from Erica Staunton, who took 48 total swings and finished with a .333 hitting percentage. Rafaella Lepenioti finished with 10 kills and 12 digs.

How it Happened

• Towson jumped out to a 3-0 before Northeastern bounced back and tied the set three times at four, five and six points each way. Trailing 6-5, the Huskies carried a 4-0 run to a 9-6 lead and eventually 12-7.
• The Tigers chipped away into the lead, thanks to a 5-2 run to trail just 15-14. The visitors put down a 4-1 run to take a 19-15 lead, setting up a huge run for the Tigers.
• Down four late in the set, Towson stroked down an 8-0 to surge past Northeastern for a 23-19 advantage. Bakodimou dropped in three service aces in a four-serve stretch towards the back of the run.
• The Huskies scored twice to pull back within two at 23-21 Towson, but the Tigers got back-to-back kills from Jarome to finish the set 25-21.
• Northeastern grabbed a 6-3 lead early in the second set before a 5-1 Towson run put the homeside back up 8-7. The latter half of the set was close, neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage until the Tigers broke a 21-21 tie with a 3-0 run to reach set point.
• Back-to-back unforced errors by the Tigers put Northeastern within a point of the Tigers at 24-23 Towson, but a Bakodimou kill finished off the frame and any chance of a rally from the Huskies as Towson won 25-23.
• Set three was all Towson quickly as the Tigers jumped up 6-2 in the first eight serves. Towson eventually doubled up on the Huskies, taking a 10-5 lead but Northeastern responded with a 4-1 run to close the gap down to a 11-9 advantage.
• Midway through the stanza, Northeastern was trailing 15-11 before stringing together a 7-1 run to take a one-point, 17-16 lead. Both sides traded the lead before Towson grabbed a 22-20 lead, but the Huskies rallied with five unanswered points  for a 25-22 set win to push the action to the fourth.
• Once again, Towson stormed ahead quickly in the fourth set, going up with a 5-1 lead. Northeastern challenged early and pulled back within one or two points of the Tiger lead several times, but could not get any closer than 19-17 before Towson ripped off four straight points to grab a 23-17 lead. Towson carried the run past a lone Northeastern point before Bakodimou notched a kill to put the Tigers on match point, followed by Jarome's solo stuff to finish her historic day.

Behind the Numbers

• Entering the match with 991 career kills, Jarome finished with 15 kills, raising her career total to 1,006. Jarome trails Christina Gempler (2003-06) in the standings for 14th place. Gempler finished her career with 1,022 kills.
• Bakodimou led Towson with her 16 kills at a .250 rate with 40 swings. She capped the afternoon with four service aces and seven digs as well.
• Mitchell was a force in the middle with a career-best 11 kills while posting five total blocks. Irbe Lazda and Lydia Wiers added four block assists each while the former finished with one solo stop. Jarome added two solo stuffs, including match point.
• Towson hit for .245 in the match while limiting the Huskies to .141. Staunton led the match with 20 total kills while Lepenioti added a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Kayla Martin, who switched into the libero jersey mid-match, snared a match-best 17 digs.
• Five Tigers had at least 10 digs in the rematch of the 2020 CAA Championship match, led by Jarome's 14 and another dozen from Rachel Hess.
• Towson has won its last five matches against the Huskies, though the Tigers dropped a set for the first time since the 2018 campaign against Northeastern.
• Saturday marked the Tigers' 14th win at SECU Arena this season, improving to 13-1 at home this year.
• The victory was the 75th win for the Towson Class of 2022, which has never suffered a losing season.

Up Next for Towson

• The Tigers return to SECU Arena for the regular season finale as they challenge Northeastern once against.
• First serve is set for noon on FloVolleyball, with Senior Day ceremonies set for 11:15 a.m. on the court.