First Serve
League play is here for the reigning CAA Champions as the Tigers go for a home-and-home weekend with Delaware. The Tigers head to Newark on Friday before their first match at SECU Arena this spring with a 1 p.m. first serve.

Scouting the Tigers
After a sub-par first set, the Tigers got right back to their winning ways and ripped off three in a row at Temple last weekend for a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18). Towson improved its hitting percentage each set, capping the afternoon with a .607 in the fourth frame. Rookie Nina Cajic leads Towson's offense, averaging 3.86 kills per set while hitting at a .323 percentage. Emily Jarome puts away 3.71 kills a frame paired with a .221 hitting percentage. 2019 CAA Rookie of the Year Lydia Wiers has the best hitting percentage on the team at .455, averaging 2.86 kills a set while leading the Tigers with a 1.57 blocks per set average. Another young Tiger, freshman Aayinde Smith, puts down 1.40 blocks per set while averaging 1.20 kills a frame. Junior Kristin Spengler is running the Tiger offense as the primary setter, pushing up 79 total assists and entering the weekend with an 11.29 per set average. A six-rotation player, Cajic is Towson's leader on the back line with 3.86 digs per set after a career-best 21 at Temple last weekend. Sophomore libero Asia Goins averages 3.71 digs per set. The pair have 27 and 26 digs, respectively. Towson has imposed its will on defense, holding teams to a combined .160 hitting percentage this season. At Temple, the Tigers held the Owls to a .111 hitting percentage in the second set, paired with a .000 hitting percentage in the third set. Opponent blocks have not phased Towson often; the Tigers have been blocked just eight times this season, four at Stony Brook and four at Temple.

Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware enters this weekend with a 1-2 overall record, spliting a rare nonconference home-and-home with James Madison to open the season before falling at Temple in five the day before Towson went to Philadelphia. Delaware has had two matches against Villanova delayed. Two Blue Hens average more than three kills per set: Michaela Putnicki (3.42) and Pearce Augier (3.33). Two setters have seen primary action for Delaware, with Lily Rogers posting 62 assists (5.17/set) and Egzi Basaranlar with 61 (8.71/set). Adelina Rivera leads at the net with 11 total blocks, averaging 1.22 per set. Delaware has 25.5 total blocks, but has been halted 33.0 times this season. Katie Turner averages 3.92 digs per set with 47 to her credit in 2021.

Towson-Delaware History
With less than an hour between gyms, Towson and Delaware have played one another A LOT since 1976. The Tigers lead the all-time series 43-39, including a 19-12 edge in Newark. Towson has won the last six matches. Since 2011, Towson has won 13 of the 16 matches between the programs. During Towson's six-match winning streak against Delaware, the Tigers have dropped just one set against their longtime rivals, faltering 25-21 in the third set in Newark on Oct. 11, 2017.

Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 43-39
at Towson Delaware 18-15
at Delaware Towson 19-12
at Neutral Sites Towson 8-6
at Unknown Sites Delaware 4-0
First Meeting 1976 Delaware 2-0
Last Meeting Nov. 3, 2019
Towson 3, Delaware 0
Streak Towson +6

Last Time Out vs. Delaware | Nov. 3, 2019 | Towson, Md. | SECU Arena
It was another straight-set victory for the Tigers against Delaware late in the 2019 campaign as Towson won its 12th CAA match in as many tries. The Tigers hit for a stout .355 in the match, finishing with 49 kills on 107 total swings with just 11 errors. Delaware was held to a .238 hitting percentage, hindered by seven blocks from the Tigers. Olivia Finckel paced Towson with 15 kills while Emily Jarome knocked down a dozen. Marrisa Wonders ran the offense with 41 assists as Camryn Allen had 15 digs in the sweep. Middle blocker Silvia Grassni finished with five block assists, one ahead of Annie Ertz. Maria Bellinger led Delaware's offense with 15 kills, with Ezgi Basaranlar hoisting 29 assists. Andie Hanus (13) and Bellinger (10) led Delaware in digs.

With a Win on Friday, Towson Would...
- Extend its regular season winning streak to 23-straight matches, dating back to Sept. 13, 2019.
- Extend Towson's winning streak to seven against the Blue Hens.
- Move Towson's CAA regular season winning streak to 22 in a row, dating back to Oct. 29, 2018.
- Push Towson's regular season road match winning streak to 12 straight, dating back to a 3-0 sweep at Loyola on Sept. 20, 2019 during the Tiger Invitational (it's complicated).
- Be the Tigers' 10th straight win on the road against Delaware; Towson has not dropped a match to Delaware since the Blue Hens moved to the Carpenter Sports Center.

CAA Defensive Player of the Week (March 1)
Adding to her long list of weekly awards from the CAA, sophomore middle blocker Lydia Wiers was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Wiers finished a four-set win at Temple with a career-best eight total blocks, helping limit the Owls to a .178 hitting percentage as a team. Wiers added 11 kills in the process, batting down chances at a .400 percent clip.

League of Their Own
Over the last five seasons, Towson has been one of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Since the 2015 campaign, the Tigers have racked a 60-20 record in league play, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019. Towson has not dropped a regular season match to a CAA opponent since Oct. 27, 2018 at Charleston in a five set thriller. The Tigers have won their last 21 CAA matches, reaching back to a 3-1 win at UNCW on Oct. 29, 2018.
2021: 0-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 60-20 (.750)

CAA Rookie of the Week (Feb. 22)
Nina Cajic made history as she became the first-ever Towson women's volleyball player to earn CAA Rookie of the Week honors in the month of February. Cajic contributed to Towson's season-opening victory over Stony Brook. The freshman was second on the team with 12 kills, while posting a hitting percentage of .323. She also had six digs, two service aces and an assist as the Tigers defeated the Seawolves in straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-22).

Welcome to Our House
- Towson will host the 2021 Spring CAA Championship on Friday, April 2 (Semifinals) and Saturday, April 3 (Championship).
- The top two teams from the North Division (Towson, Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern) and the top two teams from the South Division (James Madison, William & Mary, Elon, College of Charleston, UNCW) will duke it out at SECU Arena for the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Tigers are hosts by right of winning the 2019 CAA Regular Season
Championship, paired with the tournament title.

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.
- 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).
- Towson has fared well against two-legged mascots, going 12-2 during the 2019 campaign with wins over Pirates, Cavaliers, Penguins, Highlanders, Blue Hens, Phoenix, Seahawks and Eagles.
- 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 is 1-0 this season against four-legged mascots, topping Stony Brook (Seawolves)
- Towson is 1-0 this season against two-legged mascots, besting Temple (Owls)
- This weekend's foe, the Blue Hens, are in the two-legged category.

Climbing the Charts (As of Feb. 27)
- Towson head coach Don Metil is nearing the 400-win mark for his career.
- Now in his 19th season as an NCAA volleyball head coach, Metil has amassed 392 wins.
- Entering the spring 2021 season, Metil is 42nd among NCAA coaches with a minimum five years as a Division I head coach.
- Metil is 392-198 all-time (.664) 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: 160-68
- Metil is second all-time in wins at Towson University.
- Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Don Metil: 161-68 (2013-Pres.) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)

Waffle House Hashbrowns
- Like an order of hashbrowns at a Waffle House, Towson's opponents have been smothered and covered over the last three seasons.
- Towson limited Stony Brook to a .136 hitting percentage in the season opener.
- In 2019, Towson held opponents at or below a .150 hitting percentage 21 times.
- During the 2018 campaign, the Tigers kept opponents at or below .150 on 13 occasions.
- In 2017, Towson hit that mark 14 times.
- Assistant coach Terry Hutchinson has been key to the blocking game in his three-plus seasons with the Tigers.
- Towson's 2018 (284.5) and 2019 (289.5) efforts in blocking rank at the top of the program's record books in the 25-point rally scoring era (since 2008).

Protect this House
The friendly confines of SECU Arena have been kind to the Towson Tigers. Since moving into the new building full time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 65-23 overall record at SECU Arena. The Tigers have three seasons with double digit wins, including a 10-3 mark in 2017. With a challenging home schedule last season, the Tigers went 7-8, but finished strong on a three-match win streak at home. The Tigers finished this year with a 12-1 overall mark at SECU Arena, including an 8-0 mark in CAA action.

Wins on Wins on Wins on Wins
Over the last five seasons, the Tigers have been a tough out for opponents. Between 2015 and 2019, the Tigers have racked up a 123-39 overall record, which ranks 20th among NCAA Division I teams in terms of total wins in that span. With a winning percentage of .759 over the last five years, Towson ranks 22nd among fellow Division I teams in terms of winning percentage.

Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.
- 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.
Komen of Maryland.