First Serve
It's the final series at SECU Arena for nearly a month as the Tigers welcome in Elon University, which currently sits atop the CAA standings with a 4-0 record entering this weekend. The Tigers are on the road until the end of October.

In The National Rankings
Neither team was mentioned on the Week 5 (Sept. 27) AVCA Coaches Poll.

The Home Sweet Home Tigers
After a split weekend, the Tigers bounced back last Saturday and Sunday against visiting UNCW, taking down the Seahawks in a pair of sweeps. Towson's defense continues to be the backbone of the 2021 iteration of the Tigers, ranking second in Division I in opponent hitting percent (.107), eighth in total blocks (145.5) and 73rd in total digs (797). Three Tigers, Lydia Wiers (1.16), Nikiya Mitchell (1.11) and Aayinde Smith (1.00) all average at least one block per set. Wiers ranks 97th in the country and fourth in the CAA in blocks per set while libero Rachel Hess is 41st in total digs (241) and 101st in digs per set (4.38). If you're trying to key in on one offensive player to stop, that's a tall task against Towson; five different players average better than two kills per set: Fay Bakodimou (2.92) leads the team followed by Nina Cajic (2.63), Emily Jarome (2.47), Wiers (2.20) and Morgan Wilson (2.19). Sara Wasiakowska averages 1.53 kills per set as well, giving the Tigers options at every spot. Wiers has the best hitting percentage in the CAA at .381 and ranks 43rd nationally in the same category. Towson's serving has been excellent this fall as the team has racked up 113 total service aces, third-most in Division I. Towson averages 2.05 aces per set, 11th best in the country. Bakodimou has been the top threat with 27 aces, eigth-most in the country, including six on Sunday against UNCW. Towson has been running two setters lately, paced by 6.20 assist per frame from Megan Wilson and 6.13 a set by Kristen Spengler.

Scouting the Phoenix
A resurgent Elon program enters SECU with a 9-5 overall record, sitting at 4-0 in league play after besting Delaware in five on Saturday and a sweep on Sunday. CAA Preseason Player of the Year Leah Daniel has been a force for the Phoenix, averaging 4.27 kills per set, ranking 31st in Division I and best in the CAA. Sydney Love (2.36) ranks second for Elon while Jenn Krzeminski (1.85) nears the 2.00 kills per set mark, and has the best hitting percentage (.379) for Elon this fall. The middle blocker leads at the net, averaging 1.17 blocks per set. She is the only Phoenix north of 1.00 a frame. Jordan Gower leads the back row, grabbing 4.38 digs per set while Kellyn Trowse is second with a 2.22 average. Elon will need to shore up its serve receive, the Phoenix has allowed 76 reception errors this fall, allowing 1.6 aces per set.

Towson-Elon By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 14-1
at Towson Towson 7-0
at Elon Towson 6-0
at Neutral Sites Even 1-1
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1998 (Elon 3-2)
Last Meeting Nov. 23, 2019
Towson 3-1
Streak Towson +14

Been a Minute.
With the nature of the CAA scheduling in the spring, Towson and Elon have not faced one another since Nov. 23, 2019, the semifinals of the 2019 CAA Championships at Hofstra's David S. Mack Physical Education Center.

Saturday's match will put an end to the 679 day dry spell between the programs. The 2020 season was the first time the teams had not met since Elon joined the CAA for the 2014 campaign. Prior to becoming conferencemates, Towson and Elon faced each other just twice, in 1998 and 2004.

TUAIDE TUCAN Game
- Saturday's match against Elon has been designated as a TUCAN Game from TUAIDE
- TUAIDE: Towson University Athletes for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.
- TUCAN: Towson University Cultural Appreciation Night
- This Saturday's match will help bring awareness to Youth Awareness Society (YES Drop-In Center).
- YES has the vision that all of Baltimore's youth will easily access supportive services and stable housing to become powerful in their own lives.
- For more information, please visit YesDropInCenter.org.

Last Time Out vs. Elon | Nov. 23, 2019 | Hempstead, N.Y. | David S. Mack Physical Education Center
Stretching way back to the 2019 season, Towson and Elon last met in the semifinal round of the CAA Championship that season. The Tigers took care of business in four sets, dropping the first but rallying to take the next three frames (19-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19). Current senior Emily Jarome led the Tigers with 14 kills in that match while Marrisa Wonders put up 52 assists. Camryn Allen had 22 digs, backing five blocks each from Olivia Finckel and Silvia Grassini. Leah Daniel was the top hitter for that Elon team, scoring 16 kills. Jordan Gower had 15 digs while Haylie Clark dropped in four aces. Towson's offense was efficient with a .319 hitting percentage,

With a Win Over Elon on Saturday, Towson Would...
- Improve to 11-0 at home this season.
- Win its 15-straight match over Elon.
- Extend its home winning streak to 25, dating back to Sept. 14, 2019.
- Hop back on a four-match winning streak.
- Climb back on top of the CAA Standings for the first time since league play began.
- Win its 15th straight match against an opponent with a bird mascot.

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. 28, Towson is ranked second in the country in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a combined .107.
- Last weekend against UNCW, the Tigers held the Seahawks to a .128 hitting percentage, including a .089 in Sunday's sweep, limiting UNCW to negative hitting in the first and third.
- The Tigers rank 24th in Division I in blocks per set (2.65) and lead the CAA in that category.
- Towson is eighth in the country in total blocks at 145.5, despite playing the sixth-fewest sets among the top-10 ranked teams with just 55.
- 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 24 matches at home, the second-longest home streak in Division I, trailing only Wisconsin's 25 straight. Towson and the Badgers are the only teams riding 20+ win streaks at home as of Sept. 29.
- 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 2.92 average from Fay Bakodimou. Nina Cajic (2.63), Emily Jarome (2.47), Lydia Wiers (2.20) and Morgan Wilson (2.19) 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.
- Delaware, William & Mary and Hofstra all have three players at 2.00 or better while Elon, Charleston and UNCW each have a pair.

The Ace of Spades (The Ace of Spades)
- Towson's serving was on point last weekend as the Tigers combined for 15 service aces during the league home opener against UNCW. Conversely, the Tigers allowed just nine across six sets played at SECU Arena.
- 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 11th in the most recent NCAA Extended Stats (Sept. 28), averaging 2.05 aces per set. Fay Bakodimou ranks eight in Division with 27 total aces.
- The Tigers are third in the country in total aces (113), despite playing just 55 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 411-200 all-time (.673) 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: 181-70
- Metil is second all-time in wins at Towson University.
- Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Don Metil: 181-70 (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: 3-0
- Towson's 2021 vs. Four-Legged Mascots: 12-1
- This week's opponent, Elon, is represented by the two-legged Phoenix.
- 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 15 matches against bird-related mascots, including a 5-0 mark in 2021. The Tigers play six more matches in the regular season against feathered foes.
- Towson's next four home matches will involve bird mascots, kicking off this weekend with the Phoenix, followed by the Blue Hens to round out October.
- 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 78-23 overall record at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers have four seasons with double digit wins, including a 10-0 mark in 2021
- 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 10-0 this fall at SECU Arena with nine sweeps in 10 chances.
- Towson has won 24 straight at home since early in 2019.

In a ______ State of Mind
- Towson has played opponents from all over the eastern seaboard and the eastern portion of the midwest.
- To date, Towson has played at least one match against opponents from eight different states
- Maryland: 4 | New York: 4 | Pennsylvania: 2 | North Carolina: 2 (with 2 more this weekend) | Ohio: 1 | New Jersey: 1 | Virginia: 1 | Florida: 1)

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.