When Sunday, October 23, 2022
Where SECU Arena | Towson, Md.
Times Sunday: 1 p.m.
Team Records Towson (19-1, 9-1 CAA)
Chicago State (5-12)
Stream FloVolleyball ($)
Series First Meeting
First Serve
The Towson University Tigers volleyball team will square off against Chicago State on Sunday in their final non-conference match of the season. The Tigers will be looking for their 20
th win of the season and finish non-conference play perfect.
Receiving Votes
This week the Tigers received six votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. If Towson earns enough votes, it will be the first time that the program has been ranked in its 47-year history.
Top of the Charts
Towson is tied for the most wins in the nation with 19 with three other teams. They are tied with Western Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin and South Dakota. The Tigers have the highest winning percentage in the country with .950.
Nationally Recognized
Nina Cajic was named GameChanger/AVCA National Division I Women's VB Player of the Week earlier this month. Cajic had 32 kills, including a season-high 18 kills on Sunday's win against Stony Brook. She averaged 5.33 kills per set and a .698 hit percentage. In Saturday's match against Stony Brook Cajic totaled 14 kills on .737 hit percentage. This is the time first time a player from Towson has won this award.
Welcome to the CAA
Towson has started CAA play with all three newcomers into the CAA this year, Monmouth does not have a women's volleyball program. The Tigers are 6-0 against the new members, sweeping them in five of the six matches this season.
Scouting the Reigning Tigers
Towson picked up where they left off last year and have won 19 matches to open the campaign. The Tigers swept the Pirate Invitational defeating Norfolk State, East Carolina, and Furman. Towson hosted the Tiger Invitational and won all four matches, including a thrilling five-set victory over Rutgers. The Tigers competed in the Panther Challenge and swept Bowling Green and American, then knocked off #7 Pittsburgh. Towson started CAA play with two sweeps over newcomers Hampton behind strong team performances. The Tigers went up to Long Island and swept Stony Brook twice, including a hard-fought match on Saturday. Towson welcomed North Carolina A&T to SECU and won both matches. Towson swept Delaware in the first match to break the program record for the best start to a season, then swept the Blue Hens on Sunday to remain perfect. Towson picked up their first loss of the season against Elon after the Tigers' comeback fell short. The Black & Gold responded with a four-set victory against the Phoenix.
Nina Cajic and
Victoria Barrett lead Towson in kills with (197). Barrett leads the team in points per set (3.72) and kills per set (2.94).
Sarah Jordan has made an instant impact leading the Tigers in assists (414) and assists per set (6.09).
Leading the Conference
The Tigers are leading the conference in most statistical categories. Towson leads the CAA in aces per set (1.94), assists per set (13.13), blocks per set (2.76), hitting percentage (.285), kills per set (13.99), opponent hit percentage (.135), total blocks (188) and team service aces (132).
Fresh Face
Towson brings in nine new faces this year:
Erin Brothers,
Trinity Burge (Radford),
Sydney Stewart,
Victoria Barrett (New Mexico State),
Sarah Jordan,
Kerra Trimble (Southern Idaho),
Amiyah De'Long (Stony Brook),
Maya Scott (New Orleanes) and
Jasmine Purakal.
Lockdown Defense
Through 20 matches this season, the Tigers are ranked second in the country in opponent hit percentage (0.135). The Tigers have not allowed a team to have a hit percentage of .300 or higher, including holding their opponents to under .200 hit percentage in their last six matches.
Lydia Wiers is currently in first place in the CAA in blocks per set and total blocks, averaging 1.32 and having 90.
Rachel Hess leads Towson in digs (224) and digs per set (3.39).
Electrifying Offense
The Tigers offense has been phenomenal to start the 2022 season. Towson ranks 11th in the nation in hit percentage at .285. The Tigers sit 15th in the nation in kills per set with 13.99 and rank 14th in assists per set at 13.13.
Nina Cajic ranks first in the CAA and 10th in the country in hit percentage with a .416.
Lydia Wiers sits second in the CAA with a .375 hit percentage.
Fay Bakodimou leads the conference in service aces per set, averaging 0.41.
Highly Awarded
Lydia Wiers was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time. The senior from Willard, Ohio totaled 17 blocks, including a season-high nine blocks on Sunday's match against North Carolina A&T. On Saturday, she had a team-high eight blocks with six kills and a .444 hit percentage. Last month she earned the honor after tallying 14 blocks at the Panther Challenge, averaging 1.40 blocks per set, while the team averaged 3.30 blocks per set over the weekend. Wiers had six blocks against #7 Pittsburgh.
Nina Cajic earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year with 32 kills, including a season-high 18 kills against Stony Brook. Cajic averaged a hit percentage of .698 and had a .737 percentage in Saturday's match. Earlier in the month, she earned the honor by totaling 43 kills, 10 blocks and having a .397 hit percentage over four matches. The junior from Subotica, Serbia had double-digit kills in three of the four matches with only four errors on 99 attempts.
How to Say It: TOWSON
TOWSON is pronounced TOW like towel + Son.
IT IS NOT: TOE-son, Townson, Towsond, Townsend, Townsen, Towzen. One N, no Z.
We are Towson University, no longer Towson State University (and haven't been since
July 1, 1997).
Our mascot is Doc The Tiger, named after Donald "Doc" Minnegan, long-time soccer coach and athletics department administrator. Towson became the "Tigers" in 1962 after John Schuerholz (yes, the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame General Manager) pushed for the name change from the "Towson College Knights".
With a Win on Sunday, Towson Would...
- Win their first match against Chicago State all-time.
- Remain perfect in non-conference play.
- Win its 11th straight match against non-CAA opponents.
- Win their 20th match this year.
- Remain undefeated at SECU this season.
Returning to the Court
-Towson will be returning nine players from last year's team.
- The Tigers' experience from last year is a combined 594 sets played, including
Lydia Wiers,
Rachel Hess, and
Fay Bakodimou who totaled 342 sets.
- The 19 current members of the program have played in 1,527 total collegiate sets across their respective careers.
Back-to-Back-to-Back Champs
- The Tigers remain as the reigning champions of the league, winning their third-straight CAA title.
- Last year swept Delaware and won in five sets against Elon in the CAA Championship.
-Since Towson joined the CAA in 2002, no team has three-peated as champions.
-The only teams to have won three or more titles in a row were William & Mary seven times (1985-1991) and George Mason five times (1992-1996).
- The Tigers hoisted the league trophy after a perfect 4-0 regular season in the spring of 2021, which included a 2-0 mark in league play. Towson put together a 16-0 CAA campaign in 2019, paired with 3-1 win over Elon and a sweep of James Madison in the CAA Tournament.
- There are five Tigers currently on the roster that were members of the historic back-to-back-to-back championship teams:
Katie McCracken,
Lydia Wiers,
Asia Goins,
Morgan Wilson and
Fay Bakodimou.
League of Their Own
-Over the last seven seasons, Towson has been one of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Since the 2015 campaign, the Tigers have registered a 97-26 record in league play, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019.
-The Tigers went 12-4 last year and never got swept. The last time Towson was swept in league play happened against College of Charleston in 2018.
2022: 9-1 | 2021: 12-4 | 2021 (spring): 2-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 97-26 (.789)
Top of the Charts
- Now in his 21st season as an NCAA volleyball head coach, Coach
Don Metil has amassed 441 wins.
- Metil is 441-205 all-time (.683) 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: 211-75
- Metil passed Cathy Cain on the all-time wins list after knocking off #7 Pittsburgh earlier this season.
-
Don Metil: 211-75 (2013-Pres.) | Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)
Protect this House
- Since moving into SECU Arena full-time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 92-24 (.793) overall record at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers have four 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 went 3-0 in the shortened spring 2020 season.
- The Tigers finished last season with a 17-4 record at SECU Arena.
- Towson has won 15 straight at home since October 3, 2021.
Scouting the Cougars
Chicago State comes into SECU Arena with a 5-12 record. The Cougars were swept by Jacksonville State and Indiana, but defeated Indiana State in four sets at the Indiana Invitational. In the Windy City Invitational, Chicago State was swept by Pacific, victorious against Eastern Illinois and defeated by UIC in four. The Cougars lost close matches to South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Chicago State came away with a four-set victory against Central Michigan. At the Green & White Classic, the Cougars lost in four sets to Evansville and Michigan State, but swept Oakland. Chicago State picked up their fifth win after winning against UAlbany in four. The Cougars are currently on a four-game losing streak, losing matches to Gonzaga, Utah Valley, New Mexico State and West Virginia. Yanlis Feliz averages 12.89 attacks per set to rank fifth in the country and averages 4.48 kills per set to sit 14th in the country.
