First Serve
It's all on the table Saturday afternoon at SECU Arena as No. 1 Towson advances to its third-straight CAA Women's Volleyball Championship match while the second-seeded Phoenix of Elon reach the program's first CAA title match.

In The National Rankings
No CAA teams were mentioned on the Week 12 (Nov. 15) AVCA Coaches Poll.

The Top-Seeded Tigers
Towson returns to the CAA Championship match for a third-straight year after sweeping long-time rival Delaware 3-0 in the first semifinal match on Friday afternoon. Three Tigers all average better than two kills per set, paced by a 2.84 average from Fay Bakodimou. Emily Jarome is close behind at 2.75 per set while Nina Cajic is averaging 2.63 a frame. Lydia Wiers is near the mark with a 1.95 per set average, but leads the team with a .350 hitting percentage with just 55 errors on 434 swings. Towson's setters have split time most of the season, with Kristin Spengler averaging 5.73 assists per set and post 510 total in 89 sets played while Megan Wilson hoists 5.41 on average, putting up a team-best 268 total. Libero Rachel Hess has put up 111 this year, just over one per set. On the service line, Bakodimou has been a menace, scoring 59 total aces and averaging 0.57 per set, ranking in the top six nationally in both categories. On the back end, Towson's block is one of the best in the country as the Tigers have banged down 286.0 total blocks this fall, nearing the program's rally-scoring era record. Nikiya Mitchell averages a team-best 1.18 blocks per set, edging Wiers's 1.15 average. Wiers has a team-high 122 blocks while Mitchell is second with 116. Both have nine solo blocks. Backing the block, Hess snags 4.07 digs per set on average, grabbing 431 total, which ranks 15th in program single-season history. Jarome is second with a 2.55 digs per set average while Spengler grabs 2.25 per frame.

Scouting the No. 2 Phoenix
Elon reaches its first CAA Championship match since it joined the league in 2014. The second-seeded Phoenix got past sixth-seeded Hofstra in four sets in Friday's second semifinal match at SECU Arena. Leah Daniel leads the way with 4.00 kills per set at a .249 percent clip. Sydney Love is second with 2.44 kills per set. CAA Setter of the Year Haylie Clark has put up 909 total assists this year for Elon, averaging 9.47 per set. Three Elon players have at least 30 service aces, led by 35 from Alex VanWestrienen (0.37 per set), followed closely by Clark's 33 (0.34) and Jenn Krzeminski (0.32). Krzeminski has been a one-person wrecking crew on the block, putting down 112 total blocks, including 15 solo stops. She averages 1.18 per set. Jordan Gower leads the back row with a 3.98 digs per set average, getting to 382 total this year. Kellyn Trowse is second with a 2.19 per set average. Elon is under the guidance of CAA Coach of the Year Mary Tendler.

Towson-Elon By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 15-2
at Towson Towson 8-1
at Elon Towson 6-0
at Neutral Sites Even 1-1
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1998 (Elon 3-2)
Last Meeting Oct. 3, 2021
Towson 3, Elon 1
Streak Towson +1

It Has Not Been a Minute.
Towson and Elon will meet for the third time this fall. The teams split the regular season matches at SECU Arena, each side winning in four. Elon won the Saturday match, while Towson rebounded on Sunday for the win.

Towson took the first set on Saturday, but Elon prevailed 18-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-23. On Sunday, the Tigers won the first two sets, dropped the third and won the fourth for a 25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21 win.

Last Time Out vs. Elon | October 3, 2021 | Towson, Md. | SECU Arena
Towson bounced back from what was its first home loss in over two years on Saturday to pick up a win on Sunday, topping the Phoenix 25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21. Lydia Wiers led the way for Towson with 14 kills, while Irbe Lazda and Morgan Wilson scored 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Kristin Spengler put up 28 assists, averaging seven per set while Megan Wilson was credited with 22. Emily Jarome led Towson with 10 digs. Leah Daniel led the match for Elon with 18 kills, while Kellyn Trowse and Sydney Love scored 10 kills apiece. Elon was one of only a few teams to out-block Towson this year, scoring 11 total with seven from the hands of Jenn Krzeminski. Jordan Gower collected a match-high 16 digs.

With a Championship Win on Sunday, Towson Would...
- Win its third-straight CAA Championship, becoming the first team since George Mason won five straight from 1992-1996.
- Win its sixth-straight CAA Tournament match.
- Win the program's fourth overall CAA Championship, (2004, 2019, and 2020/1)
- Win the 17th match of the season at SECU Arena, extending its own building record for single-season wins.
- Beat either Elon for the 16th time in 18 total meetings.
- Improve to 8-2 as the number one seed in the CAA Tournament since joining the league.

Terminators
- Towson has one of the most versatile attacks in the conference. That is definitely the case in terms of match-point.
- Emily Jarome and Lydia Wiers have been part of five match-winning points this fall. Nina Cajic and Fay Bakodimou have been in on four clinching points. Nikiya Mitchell (2) and Aayinde Smith (1) have also added finishing moves.
- Five of Towson's wins have been on opponent errors on match points. All four of Towson's losses have been with a Tiger error on the deciding point.

What a Class
- Last weekend, head coach Don Metil and his staff honored and recognized six members of the program who will graduate this spring.
- Honorees: Emily Jarome, Katie McLellan, Nikiya Mitchell, Kristin Spengler, Ally Townsend, Megan Wilson. Fay Bakodimou matriculated in 2018 with Jarome and Spengler but will return to the program next fall.
- The Class of 2022 has helped rebuild the Towson program, never suffering a losing season while accumulating 77 wins entering this weekend, despite a heavily reduced 2020/1 season.
- In 2019 and 2021, the class has won at least 20 matches, racking 29 wins in 2019 and another 25 this fall with at least three more chances for wins.
- The Class of 2022 has won two straight CAA Women's Volleyball championships, captured one outright regular season title (2019), along with two berths in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament (2019, 2020).
- In 2019, this class won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament match, topping American in a five-set thriller at Penn State's Rec Hall.

Hess Named CAA Player of the Week (Again!)
- Junior libero Rachel Hess picked up her second CAA Defensive Player of the Week honor on Monday. She was also named the honoree on Oct. 25.
- The Breinigsville, Pennsylvania product Towson to a pair of wins and secure the top seed with four and three set wins over Northeastern
- Hess recorded 35 total digs, including 23 in Sunday's sweep, averaging nearly eight digs per set in the win, despite 11 total blocks ahead of her.
- She backed the Tiger defense, holding the Huskies to a .089 hitting percentage for the entire match. Over the two matches, Hess added eight total assists, including six in Saturday's match.

Birds of a Feather (More Potential!)
- Bird mascots are very popular, it seems, on the Towson schedule.
- The Tigers played nine matches this regular season against feathered foes.
- Towson had won its last 15 matches against bird-related mascots before dropping the Saturday match against Elon.
- Towson is 9-1 against bird mascots in 2021 after sweeping Delaware in the CAA Semifinals.
- The Tigers did not play a single bird opponent on the road during the regular season.
- Towson will look for its 10th win over a bird on Saturday against the Phoenix of Elon.

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 Nov. 15, Towson is ranked sixth in the country in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a combined .131.
- The Tigers rank 16th in Division I in blocks per set (2.65) and are first in the CAA in that category.
- Towson checks in at 5th in Team Total Blocks in Division I with 273.0 this year, thanks to a HUGE day at the net on in the Friday match at William & Mary with another 17.5 blocks, including 11 from Nikiya Mitchell.
- 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.
- Mitchell and Wiers are two of four 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).
- As of Nov. 15, the Tigers' Fall 2021 total of 273.0 blocks ranks 6th all-time for a single season in program history.

The Ace of Spades (The Ace of Spades)
- 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 14th in the most recent NCAA Extended Stats (Nov. 15), averaging 1.92 aces per set. Fay Bakodimou ranks third in Division I with 57 total aces.
- The Tigers are ninth in the country in total aces (198) as of Nov. 15.

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 421-202 all-time (.676) 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: 191-73
- Metil is second all-time in wins at Towson University.
- Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Don Metil: 191-73 (2013-Pres.) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)

Could Be More History
- Despite earning the league's top seed and the 2021 CAA Regular Season Championship, the Tigers were without a single major award winner this fall.
- Since 1984, only six teams have won the CAA Championship without a major award winner
- 2000 JMU, 2005 VCU, 2012 Hofstra, 2015 UNCW, 2017 JMU, 2020 Towson.
- Should Towson win Saturday, they would become the first top-seeded team to win the title sans major awards.
- There was no regular season champion in 2020/1. Towson was the one seed in the north side of the CAA standings.

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 11 different states
- Last weekend Towson added another state to the list: Massachusetts.
- Maryland: 4 | New York: 4 | Pennsylvania: 2 | Massachusetts: 2 | North Carolina: 4 | Delaware: 3 | South Carolina: 2 | Virginia: 4 | Ohio: 1 | New Jersey: 1 | Florida: 1

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: 7-1
- Towson's 2021 vs. Four-Legged Mascots: 18-3
- Saturday's opponent, the Phoenix of Elon, is a two-legged mascot.
- 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).

Protect this House
- Since moving into SECU Arena full time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 84-24 overall record at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers have four seasons with double digit wins, including a 16-1 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 16-1 this fall at SECU Arena with 11 sweeps in 17 chances.
- Friday's sweep of Delaware marked a building record for single-season wins, now at 16.
- The Tigers' 16 wins at home this season are the most by a team in a single season surpassing the 2013-14 men's basketball team, which finished 15-1 in the Arena's rookie year.
- Towson volleyball is the winningest team playing in SECU Arena
- Women's volleyball: 84-24 (.778) | Men's Basketball: 71-38 (.648) | Women's Basketball: 59-50 (.541) | Gymnastics: 38-31 (.551)

When in Colonial Rome...
- Towson has played against programs from seven of the original 13 Colonies.
- Of the 13 Original Colonies, the Tigers have tussled with teams from Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
- Two weekends ago, Towson brought that total to eight, adding the First State, Delaware.
- The regular season total reached nine with a visit from Northeastern last weekend, representing Massachusetts.
- The only missing colonies are Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Georgia.

Back 2 Back with Home Cookin'
- Towson won its second-straight CAA Women's Volleyball Championship, sweeping both Charleston (semifinals) and Northeastern (finals).
- Towson is the first CAA team to repeat as champions since James Madison won titles in 2016-17.
- Since Towson joined the league in 2002, there have now been five repeat champions
• George Mason: 2002, 2003 | Delaware: 2007, 2008 | Delaware: 2010, 2011
• James Madison: 2016, 2017 | Towson: 2019, 2020
- The Tigers were the first team to win the CAA Tournament on home court since JMU in 2017.
- Towson looks to become the first team to win back-to-back titles at home since Delaware won the 2010 and 2011 titles the Carpenter Sports Building.
• Other Teams to Win at Home since 2002: Towson (2004), Hofstra (2006), Delaware (2007, 2010, 2011), College of Charleston (2013), James Madison (2017).
- The 2020(21?) title was the second time Towson won it all on home court and first in SECU Arena
• The 2004 team won the title in the Towson Center.

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.