First Serve
Returning home after its first long road trip of the season, Towson is back at the friendly confines of SECU Arena for a pair against visiting UNCW on Saturday and Sunday, with first serve going up at 2 p.m. on both days.

In The National Rankings
Neither team was mentioned on the Week 4 (Sept. 20) AVCA Coaches Poll.

The Homestanding Tigers
After spending a weekend on the road, Towson back to open a four-match homestand, kicking off with a pair against UNCW this weekend. Towson returns humbled, splitting results at Hofstra, falling in five on Saturday before a four-set win on Sunday. Fay Bakodimou is the backbone of the versatile offense, averaging 3.00 kills per set and a .253 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nina Cajic is close behind with a 2.63 kills per set average while hitting at .339 on the outsides. Emily Jarome (2.53), Lydia Wiers (2.31) and Morgan Wilson (2.11) all average better than two kills per set. Towson boasts four hitters/middles with high hitting percentages: Middles Lydia Wiers leads with a .394, while Nikiya Mitchell hits at .343. On the pins, Morgan Wilson checks in at .341 while Cajic is at the aforementioned .339. Towson brings a big lineup to the net, with three players averaging at least one block per set this fall. Wiers averages 1.12, with Aayinde Smith putting down 1.10 and Mitchell in with a 1.07 average. Rachel Hess backs the blockers, picking up 4.33 digs per set while Kristin Spengler grabs 2.69. Spengler put up her third double-double of the year at Hofstra, pushing up 29 assists and 19 digs in the second match. Spengler and Megan Wilson split setter duties. The latter averages 6.58 assists per set while the former hoists 6.19 a frame. Bakodimou is the top threat at the service line, averaging nearly a half-ace per set, leading the Tigers with 21 aces already. Hess is a close second with 17 total (0.35/set).

Scouting the Seahawks
The Seahawks make their way north for the first time this fall, kicking off their CAA slate. UNCW is 1-10 on the year, falling in three in its final match of a home invitational to in-state rival UNCG. Katie Lanz leads the team with 2.68 assists per set, edging Brianna Haggerty's 2.62 per-set average. Kristen Badowski averages 2.07 per set as well. UNCW also splits setter work between Claire Sawyer (5.08 assists/set) and Annabelle Schall (4.03). Haggerty and Ashley Thompson have tucked away 11 service aces apiece. Brooke Hanshumaker is the Seahawks' top blocking threat, averaging 0.54 blocks per set, bolstered by eight solo blocks this season. Jadyn Barry leads the Seahawks with 3.75 digs per set.

Towson-UNCW By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 32-17
at Towson Towson 16-1
at UNCW Towson 11-7
at Neutral Sites Towson 5-3
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1979 (Towson 2-0)
Last Meeting Nov. 10, 2019 (Towson 3-1)
Streak Towson +8

Been a Minute.
Like the Hofstra series, the Towson-UNCW matchup resumes after nearly two years of hiatus. The longtime league foes did not meet last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the league opting into North/South divisions. The two programs were in opposing sides of the CAA.

Towson and UNCW renew a series that dates back to 1979, ending a run of 685 days since the last meeting. The last time it was that long since the teams played one another was from Nov. 4, 1991 until the teams were both CAA members for an Oct. 12, 2002 match, a stretch of 3,994 days.

Last Time Out vs. UNCW | Nov. 10, 2019 | Wilmington, N.C. | Hanover Hall
It was a hard-fought 3-1 win for the Tigers on the back end of the CAA Southern Swing as Towson won 23-25, 25-14, 27-25, 25-16 at Hanover Hall. Three Tigers, Olivia Finckel (17), Lydia Wiers (16) and Emily Jarome (15) put up double-digit kills, while Jarome finished with a double-double thanks to 12 digs. Setter Marrisa Wonders notched a double as well, putting up 53 assists with 21 digs. Camryn Allen finished with a team second-best 16 digs while Finckel had seven blocks. Silvia Grassini added five blocks as well. Jamie Thomas led for UNCW with 12 kills, followed by 10 from Kendall Bender. Thomas had a double-double with 14 digs, a team high. Towson held UNCW to a .137 hitting percentage, limiting the Seahawks to -0.027 hitting in both the second and fourth sets.

With a Win Over UNCW on Saturday, Towson Would...
- Improve to 9-0 at home this season.
- Win its ninth-straight match over UNCW.
- Extend its home winning streak to 23, dating back to Sept. 14, 2019.
- "OK, we won a game last week. If we win today, it's called "two in a row" "- Lou Brown " - Towson Volleyball.

Everyone on the Block
- If you're attacking Towson's defense, you're going to have a LOT of hands in your face.
- As of Sept. 21, Towson is ranked fourth in the country in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a combined .105.
- Last weekend at Hofstra, the Tigers held the Pride to a .136 hitting percentage, including a .122 in, ironically, the match Towson dropped. Hofstra hit .149 on Sunday.
- Towson's set a program record on Sept. 3 against Loyola Maryland, stuffing the Greyhounds 21 times in five sets. Lydia Wiers was accounted for on 11 total blocks in the match, tied for the third-most by a Tiger in program history. She is one of three players in program history to hit 11 total blocks in the 25 point rally scoring era (2008-present), joining Susan Gansor (vs. UNH, 2011) and Shelynne Hoyt (vs. Penn, 2009).

We're Going Streaking! (Per NCAA Extended Stats)
- Towson has the longest active winning streak in the country at 12 straight matches.
- The Tigers have won 23 straight conference matches.
- Towson has won its last 22 matches at home, the second-longest home streak in Division I.
- The Tigers have won their last 14 regular season road matches.
- Towson has won its last 11 road conference matches.
- The SID may have jinxed a lot of this.

Five-Headed Monster
- Like the Hydra of Greek mythology, Towson's offense is a multi-headed monster for opponents.
- Five Tigers average better than two kills per set, led by a 3.00 average from Fay Bakodimou. Nina Cajic (2.63), Emily Jarome (2.53), Lydia Wiers (2.31) and Morgan Wilson (2.11) are all north of that 2.00 bench mark.
- Each of those five players have at least two matches this fall with double digits, made more impressive by Morgan Wilson coming in as a reserve starter for a few matches for injuries.
- Towson is one of three teams in the CAA with five players averaging 2.00 kills per set, joined by a quintet from James Madison and Northeastern.
- William & Mary and UNCW have three players averaging 2.00 kills per set of better, while Elon, Delaware, Charleston and Hofstra all have a pair.

The Ace of Spades (The Ace of Spades)
- Towson's serving was on point last weekend as the Tigers combined for 14 service aces during the league opener at Hofstra.
- Towson served up 27 aces in the opening weekend with another 32 coming in the Towson Invitational, followed by 25 aces at the Tiger Invitational.
- Towson is ranked 16th in the most recent NCAA Extended Stats (Sept. 21), averaging 2.00 aces per set.
- The Tigers are second in the country in total aces (98), despite playing just 49 total sets.

What Conference Are We In???
- Through the first three weekends of the season, Towson has played opponents from five different conferences: America East, Horizon, Ivy, MEAC and Patriot League.
- It feels like the Tigers may be an associate member of the America East, MEAC or Patriot League, having played opponents from those leagues twice.
- Towson added Conference USA (FAU) and American Athletic Conference (Temple) to the mix this weekend.
- Towson has more wins in two different conferences this year 3-0 MEAC, 3-0 Patriot) than it did in the spring, playing in (and winning!) two CAA matches in the offset season.

Mr. 400
- During opening weekend, Towson head coach Don Metil picked up the 400th win of his head coaching career, coming in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Navy.
- Entering the spring 2021 season, Metil is 42nd among NCAA coaches with a minimum five years as a Division I head coach.
- Metil is 409-200 all-time (.672) 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: 179-70
- Metil is second all-time in wins at Towson University.
- Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Don Metil: 179-70 (2013-Pres.) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)

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.
- Towson's 2021 vs. Two-Legged Mascots: 1-0
- Towson's 2021 vs. Four-Legged Mascots: 12-1
- This week's opponent, UNCW, is represented by the two-legged seahawk.
- 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).
- 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 went 3-1 in 2020/1 against four-legged mascots, topping Stony Brook (Seawolves), Charleston (Cougars) and Northeastern (Huskies) but falling to Dayton (see last line).
- Towson's opponent in Spring 2021, the Dayton Flyers, are in the four-legged category (Orville and Wilbur Wright). (This is according to an impromptu Twitter poll).

Birds of a Feather
- Bird mascots are very popular, it seems, on the Towson schedule.
- The Tigers will play nine matches this fall against feathered foes.
- Towson has won its last 13 matches against bird-related mascots, including a 3-0 mark in 2021. The Tigers play six more matches in the regular season against feathered foes.
- Towson's next four matches will involve bird mascots, kicking off this weekend with Seahawks, followed by Phoenix next weekend. The bird mascots round out at the end of October with Delaware.
- The Tigers will not play a single bird opponent on the road during the regular season.

Protect this House
- Since moving into SECU Arena full time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 76-23 overall record at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers have three seasons with double digit wins, including a 10-3 mark in 2017.
- The Tigers finished 2018 strong at home with a three-match win streak.
- The Tigers finished 2019 with a 12-1 overall mark at SECU Arena, with an 8-0 mark in the CAA.
- Towson is already 8-0 this fall at SECU Arena with seven sweeps in eight chances.
- Towson has won 22 straight at home since early in 2019.

League of Their Own
Over the last six seasons, Towson has been one of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Since the 2015 campaign, the Tigers have racked a 62-20 record in league play, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019 and a 2-0 record in 2020/1. The Tigers have won their 24 of their last 25 CAA matches.
2021: 1-1 | 2020/1: 2-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 63-21 (.750)

Tigers in the Community
- 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.