BALTIMORE -- Big serves and big swings helped the Towson University women's volleyball team cruise past Cleveland State University in the Tigers' second match of the Baltimore Invitational on Saturday.

The Tigers opened the day with a sweep over the Vikings, going 25-13, 25-17, 25-9 in their first match of the afternoon at Hill Field House.

Towson (2-0) hammered a .559 hitting percentage against the Vikings, paced by a .667 from Lydia Wiers on a 6-of-9 outing, while Emily Jarome batted down seven kills on 10 swings for a .600. Nina Cajic put down a season-best 10 kills while Megan Wilson hoisted 32 assists.

Cleveland State (1-2) was held to a .013 hitting efficiency, but led by London Portis, who hit .312 with eight kills on 16 swings with three errors. Abby Miller posted 12 assists for the Vikings.

How it Happened

• Trailing 4-2 early in the first set, the Tigers stormed back, ripping off five-straight points for a 7-4 lead. After surrendering a point on a service error, the Tigers put away another 10 points for a 17-5 lead before the Vikings called a timeout.
• The Tigers traded blows with Cleveland State through the back half of the first set before getting three of the final four points. The final point of the set was awarded to Towson after Cleveland State's head coach was given a red card, handing the Tigers a 25-13 win.
• The first nine points of set two were three-point runs for either side; Towson opened a 3-0 lead before Cleveland State tied the action, which set up another 3-0 Tiger run with kills from Nina Cajic and Fay Bakodimou. 
• Towson limited back-to-back points for Cleveland State. After another 3-0 run for the Vikings to trim Towson's lead to 10-9, the Tigers did not allow Cleveland State consecutive points the rest of the set. 
• The Tigers closed matters on set two with a 5-1 run, after leading 20-16, the Tigers tucked away five of the next six points, including two service aces from Emily Jarome, helping Towson to a 25-17 set win.
• Towson cracked open the third set with a 6-2 lead behind kills from Nikiya Mitchell, Bakodimou and aces from Rachel Hess. Towson extended its lead to 17-6, keeping the Vikings from consecutive points through the entire third set.
• After a back-and-forth start in the early goings of the third set, Towson buckled down and finished off the sweep with a 7-0 run, crossing a Cleveland State timeout. The Tigers capitalized on VIking miscues, while putting down two blocks in the final three points for the 25-9 set win.

Behind the Numbers

• Towson hit for .559 in its second match of the season, going north of .500 for the first time this season; the Tigers hit .433 in the lidlifter against Morgan State Friday night.
• Cajic, who celebrated her birthday in style, knocked down 10 kills to become Towson's first player with double digit kills this season. She hit .562 with 16 swings and just one error. Mitchell led the match's multi-swing hitters, putting away all five attempts in the middle. Running the offense, Megan Wilson pushed up 32 assists in the match, her highest total as a member of the Black & Gold.
• Running the back line, Hess put up 10 digs while Jarome grabbed six for a team second-best. The latter led the day with four service aces, while five Tigers dropped in perfect serves as well.
• Towson improved to 5-3 all-time against Cleveland State in the first meeting between the programs since 2008. It was the Tigers' third-straight win over the Vikings. 
• The Tigers have now won 26 straight regular season matches, stretching back to mid-September 2019. Towson has also won four in a row against in-state foes.

Up Next for Towson

• The Tigers wrap up action at Hill Field House on Saturday.
• Towson takes on Binghamton in the Baltimore Invitational final with a 6:30 p.m. first serve.
• The Tigers travel to the state capital on Sunday to take on the United States Naval Academy, which is also competing at the Baltimore Invitational at Morgan State. First serve in Annapolis is slated for 2 p.m.