HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Towson University women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision at James Madison University on Saturday. Despite the outcome, it was a back-and-forth battle at Sinclair Gymnasium.

Towson (21-4, 9-4 CAA) was led by the return of Nina Cajic, who finished with nine kills on 23 swings at a .304 rate. The Tigers' balanced approach was complemented by eight kills from Fay Bakodimou, while Emily Jarome and Lydia Wiers added seven and six, respectively. Setter Megan Wilson notched her first double-double at Towson with 17 assists and 11 digs. Kristin Spengler posted 14 assists as well.

James Madison (16-5, 10-3 CAA) had a match-high 17 kills from Miëtte Veldman, who hit .343 for the day. Sophia Davis and Elizabeth Helmich added seven kills apiece. The former hit a team-best .500 for the match. Caroline Dozier posted 35 assists.

How it Happened

• Towson came out hot in the first set, putting down six straight points to open the action Cajic added three kills out of the gate while Jarome landed one followed by a Spengler ace. 
• Both teams traded small runs before JMU, trailing 11-8, went on a 5-1 burst to take a 13-12 lead.
• Midway through the first set the sides traded 3-0 runs around timeouts, first JMU to 17-14, then Towson to tie things followed by another 3-0 JMU surge to make it 20-17. The Tigers trailed 22-19 before a quick 4-1 run tied things late at 23. The home side got the final two points for a 1-0 lead in the match after a 25-23 decision.
• Set two was back and forth early as Towson went up 3-2, then down 4-3, then back up 5-4. The Tigers built to a 9-7 advantage before the Dukes tied things at 9-9. Later, JMU strung together a 5-1 run for a 15-12 lead before another trio of 3-0 runs tied things at 15-15, a JMU lead at 18-15 before Towson tied it again at 18-18.
• However, James Madison finished the set with a 7-1 run for a 25-19 decision and a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The third set began as the second did, both teams trading points. James Madison broke open the action to a 7-4 lead before Towson kicked in a 5-1 run to take a narrow 9-8 lead. Towson trailed 10-9 before a quick three point burst with a Jarome and Megan Wilson kill, coupled with a JMU attack error, put the Tigers up 12-10. The hosts went on a 4-0 run to regain a 14-12 lead and did not give up the lead the rest of the way. The Tigers clawed back in at 19-17 but three JMU 2-0 runs with just two Towson points put the set and match out of reach with a 25-19 decision in the third.

Behind the Numbers

• Towson's balanced attack featured six players with at least four kills, including nine from Cajic, who made her first start since late September after suffering an injury. She hit for .304 in the match to lead the Tigers.
• Nikiya Mitchell hit at a .300 rate, scoring four kills on 10 swings with just one error. Mitchell added three block assists, as did Jarome. As a team, Towson posted seven total blocks.
• Graduate transfer Megan Wilson scored her first double-double as a Tiger, leading the team with 17 assists along with 11 digs. Spengler finished with 14 assists.
• Seven Tigers picked up at least three digs, with libero Rachel Hess snarring six alongside six assists.
• Veldman led the match with her 17 kills on 35 swings with five errors, a .343 hitting percentage. She finished with three total blocks, as did Davis with her seven kills.
• Saturday's setback was the first time since Oct. 14, 2018 the Tigers were swept in the regular season, a run of 66 regular season matches without being swept.

Up Next for Towson

• The Tigers return to Sinclair Gymnasium on Sunday for the final conference match between the programs.
• First serve is set for 1 p.m. and will be carried on FloVolleyball.