TOWSON, Md. -- It was nearly a year and a half between competitive points at SECU Arena for the Towson University women's volleyball program. It took the Tigers a set to shake the home rust off before sweeping the University of Delaware (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) for the second time in three days.

Towson (4-0, 2-0 CAA North) was led by another double-double from rookie Nina Cajic, who finished with 11 kills and 12 digs. Kristin Spengler ran the offense with 36 assists as Emily Jarome batted down another 11 kills as well. Every Towson player that served scored an ace, including a pair from Jarome.

Delaware (1-4, 0-2 CAA North) was led by nine kills each from Michaela Putnicki and Lily Rogers. Ezgi Basaranlar and Rogers tackled the setting duties with 18 and 16, respectively. Putnicki added 11 digs to lead the Blue Hens as well.

How it Happened

• Towson doubled up Delaware early in the first set with a 6-3 lead, capitalizing on Blue Hen miscues. Despite several small runs, the Tigers held off a Delaware charge while taking an 18-14 advantage, bolstered by back-to-back kills from Fay Bakodimou and Jarome. 
• With Towson leading 22-16 late in the set after a Spengler ace, Delaware made a charge with a 7-1 run to deadlock the set 23-23. Two Delaware errors pushed Towson to a 25-23 win after a blocking error and an Asia Goins service ace for the set point.
• Early in the second set, Delaware held a 9-6 lead behind 5-1 run. But Towson responded in kind, ripping off a 7-0 run for a 13-9 lead with Bakodimou on the line to serve. The final four points of the run were Jarome kill, a Bakodimou ace, an over-pass kill from Lydia Wiers and another Jarome kill. Later in the frame, Delaware pulled back within a point with an 18-17 Towson lead. Too close for comfort, the Tigers picked up seven of the next eight points for the 25-18 set win. Bakodimou and Wiers provided three of the final four points in the set.
• Set three was back and forth early as the teams tied six times in the first 22 points, including an 11-11 deadlock. Towson strung together a 4-2 run for some separation and a 15-13 lead, which was capped with a Bakodimou kill. 
• Down, Delaware rallied to tie set three at 17-17 behind a 4-2 run of its own. The set was tied one final time at 18-18 before Towson terminated the match with a 7-2 run that included a block from Bakodimou and Wiers.
• Set one saw four ties and one lead change, but the sets got tighter as the day went. The second frame had six ties and four lead changes while the third set was the tightest of the day, especially early, and had 10 ties and five lead changes.

Behind the Numbers

• The Tigers continued their torrid hitting pace with a .371 on the day. Cajic, Weirs and another rookie, Aayinde Smith finished with .429 hitting percentage while Bakodimou went 9-of-17 with zero errors for a .529 day.
• Spengler finished with 36 assists in the match to help Towson's efficient offense. She added eight digs as well.
• Cajic logged the second double-double of her career and first in CAA play with her 11 kills on 21 swings with 12 digs.
• Both teams' serve receives struggled as Towson logged seven aces with Delaware posting six.
• Towson's front row continued to limit opponents and finished with six total blocks, including four assisted stops from Cajic and another three each from Smith and Wiers.
• Towson has ripped off eight straight wins over its long-time nemesis. The Tigers have posted seven sweeps in that span and haven't dropped a set to Delaware since the 2016 season.
• Tiger head coach Don Metil won the 394th match of his overall career as he works his way towards the top of Towson's all-time list. He now has 164 wins at Towson, second-most in program history.
• Playing their first home match since Nov. 17, 2019, Towson improved to 66-23 all-time at SECU Arena since it opened in 2013.
• Towson has now won 25 straight regular season matches, dating back to the 2019 campaign, while also winning 23 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matches in a row going back to the end of the 2018 season.
• Playing at home for the first time in league play this season, the Tigers donned their Autism Blue jerseys for the third and final set of the match, a program tradition under Metil.

Up Next for Towson

• Towson continues CAA North action with a return to Long Island to face Hofstra next weekend.
• The Tigers challenge the Pride Friday and Saturday afternoon at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. 
• Hofstra is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the CAA North division, with a Sunday evening match against Northeastern pending.