Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Towson University Athletics

Scoreboard

Now Loading: Women's Volleyball
Volleyball Celebration at Navy
2
Towson Towson 12-1,0-1 CAA
3
Winner Hofstra Hof 7-5,1-0 CAA
Towson Towson
12-1,0-1 CAA
2
Final
3
Hofstra Hof
7-5,1-0 CAA
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Towson Towson 25 19 19 25 12 (2)
Hofstra Hof 9 25 25 21 15 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | John Stark

Volleyball Drops Rare Match at Hofstra in Five

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- They say all good things must come to an end.

For the first time in over two years, the Towson University women's volleyball team dropped a regular season match, falling in its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener at Hofstra University Saturday afternoon in five sets. The Pride snapped Towson's 36-match regular season winning streak with a 9-25, 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12 decision at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.

Towson (12-1, 0-1 CAA) started strong with a 25-9 set-one win, but the Pride rallied back to win the next two frames. Backs against the wall, the Tigers took the fourth set, but struggled in the fifth, spotting Hofstra (7-5, 1-0 CAA) a 7-0 lead. The Tigers clawed back to within two points, fighting off match point five times before luck ran out.

The Tigers were led by a double-double from Fay Bakodimou, who dropped in 12 kills with 12 digs. She was in double figure kills by Nina Cajic (10) and Emily Jarome, who put away 10 kills with 13 digs for a double-double. Nikiya Mitchell tied a career high with eight total blocks along with eight kills and no errors.

Hofstra, playing at home for the first time this fall, had a match-high 16 kills from Ana Martinovic, with Florencia Wolkowyski backing up with 12 kills. Beatriz Alves had 36 assists with Chiara Cucco notching 26 digs on the backline. Hofstra finished with 16 total blocks, getting 12 from Sarah Pierre.

How it Happened
  • The first set was all Towson early as the Tigers grabbed a 10-point, 16-6 lead early in the opener. Towson spread the ball around in that run, getting kills from four different sources and a pair of aces from Lydia Wiers. 
  • Hofstra could not get out of double figures in the first set as Towson capped the frame on a 9-3 run, cruising to a 25-9 decision.
  • In the second set, it was Hofstra's turn to jump out quickly, taking a 9-4 lead before the Tigers went on a 5-1 run to make it a one-point set, down 10-9 thanks to a block from Mitchell and Jarome.
  • Hofstra pulled ahead to a 15-12 lead before a Tiger timeout, which allowed the visitors to reset and go on a small run to tie the set 17-17. The Tigers could not connect points the rest of the set, with Hofstra scoring an 8-2 run for a 25-19 win, tying the match at one set apiece.
  • Opening set three, Towson took a 6-3 lead, but the set was tied four times before the Tigers edged a 15-13 lead. Hofstra ran together a 5-0 run, bridging a Towson timeout and took an 18-15 lead. The Tigers tied the set once again at 19-19 on a Mitchell kill, but that proved to be Towson's final point of the set as the Pride went up 2-1 in the match with a 25-19 decision with a 6-0 flourish at the end.
  • Set four was back and forth early as Towson went up 5-3 before the Pride took a 9-6 lead. Towson swung back with a 3-0 run to tie the action, which was also deadlocked at 10 and 11. Hofstra built a 14-11 lead, setting up a Tiger timeout.
  • Out of that break, Towson wrested control 20-17 before a Pride timeout. Towson put together enough points at the end to force a fifth set thanks to a 25-21 win, capped with an ace from Kristin Spengler.
  • The Tigers struggled early in the deciding set as Hofstra went up 7-0 quickly, working around a Towson timeout at 4-0. The Pride kept a seven-point lead at 10-3 before Towson called its second timeout.
  • Out of the final pause for the Tigers, Hofstra moved to match point at 14-8. Towson put down a 4-0 run with Asia Goins back serving, but playing with fire, Towson logged an attack error, falling 15-12 in the fifth set and 3-2 in the match.
Behind the Numbers
  • Mitchell tied two career bests with eight blocks and eight kills.
  • Bakodimou led the way for the Tigers with her second double-double of the year and third in career, putting down a dozen kills with another 12 digs. Jarome added the 10th double of her Black & Gold career with 13 digs and 10 kills. Cajic posted another 10 kills for the Tigers.
  • Rachel Hess led Towson's back row with 19 digs while the Tigers accounted for 12 total blocks.
  • Spengler was two digs shy of a double, coming up with 30 assists as well.
  • Towson was limited to a .188 hitting percentage, committing 26 attack errors, including 16 Hofstra blocks. 
  • The Tigers scored nine service aces, getting three apiece from Spengler and Wiers.
  • Hofstra had a match-best 16 kills from Martinovic, with Wolkowyski notching a dozen. Pierre was all over the net with a dozen total blocks, including 11 assisted stops. Cucco had 26 digs in the match as well.
  • Saturday's loss was the Tigers' first in the regular season since Sept. 13, 2019, a five-setter at home against Coastal Carolina. Saturday's result was Towson's first conference loss since Oct. 27, 2018 in a five-set decision at College of Charleston. Towson's regular season run ends at 36 straight matches while the league streak is halted at 23. The loss snapped a 15-match regular season road winning streak as well
Up Next for Towson
  • The Tigers have a chance to start anew tomorrow afternoon, right back at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.
  • Towson takes on the Pride once again, with first serve going up at 1 p.m.
  • The match will be carried on FloVolleyball, with Max Sacco and Anthony Roberts on the call.
Print Friendly Version