When Saturday November 12, 2022
Sunday November 13, 2022
Where SECU Arena | Towson, Md.
Times Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.
Team Records Towson (24-1, 13-1 CAA)
Hofstra (17-9, 14-0 CAA)
Stream FloVolleyball ($)
Series Hofstra Leads Towson 41-20
First Serve
The Towson University Tigers volleyball team will welcome the Hofstra Pride in a huge matchup this weekend. If the Tigers win both matches against the Pride, they will be crowned the CAA Regular Season Champs and clinch the one seed in the CAA Tournament next week.
Receiving Votes
This week, the Tigers received 18 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.
All We Do Is Win
Towson is tied for the second most wins in the nation with 24 with #7 Pittsburgh, South Dakota State and Wright State. The Tigers are trailing only #22 Western Kentucky by one win. The Tigers have the highest winning percentage in the country, with .960, #2 San Diego and #24 UCF tied for second with a .957 win percentage.
Block by Block
Lydia Wiers currently is seventh all-time in total blocks with 39 over her four-year career. Wiers is only nine total blocks behind Debbie Lynn for sixth place all-time. The senior from Willard, Ohio is only one of 12 Tigers with 300 or more total blocks.
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 24 matches 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. Towson wrapped up non-conference play with a four-set victory over Chicago State. The Tigers resumed CAA play with two four-set wins against William & Mary. Towson defeated Charleston in four sets on Saturday and swept the Cougars on
Victoria Barrett leads Towson in kills (212), kills per set (2.80) and points per set (3.59).
Sarah Jordan has made an instant impact leading the Tigers in assists (477) and assists per set (5.96).
Leading the Conference
The Tigers are leading the conference in most statistical categories. Towson leads the CAA in aces per set (1.89), assists per set (13.22), blocks per set (2.85), hitting percentage (.282), kills per set (14.09), opponent hit percentage (.136), team service aces (164) and total blocks (248).
Fresh Faces
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 Orleans) and Jasmine Purakal.
Lockdown Defense
Through 25 matches this season, the Tigers are ranked second in the country in opponent hitting percentage (0.136). The Tigers have not allowed a team to have a hitting percentage of .300 or higher this season. Towson is ranked fourth in the NCAA in blocks per set, averaging 2.85.
Lydia Wiers is currently in second place in the CAA in blocks per set and first in total blocks, averaging 1.29 and having 112.
Aayinde Smith sits fourth in the CAA in total blocks with 98 and tied for fourth in blocks per set with 1.13.
Rachel Hess leads Towson in digs with 312 and sits seventh in digs per set in the CAA with 3.67.
Electrifying Offense
The Tigers offense has been phenomenal to start the 2022 season. Towson ranks 16th in the nation in hit percentage at .282. The Tigers sit 15th in the nation in kills per set with 14.09 and rank 13th in assists per set at 13.22. Towson is 15th in the country in aces per set, averaging 1.89.
Lydia Wiers leads the CAA with a .390 hit percentage, while teammate
Nina Cajic ranks third in the CAA in hit percentage with a .366.
Fay Bakodimou leads the conference in service aces per set, averaging 0.46 and ranks 32nd in the NCAA.
Highly Awarded
Lydia Wiers was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week for the third time. Wiers totaled 15 total blocks, averaging 1.88 blocks per ser in Towson's two victories against William & Mary. She had a season-high nine total blocks with eight kills, three digs, then followed with six total blocks, including two solo blocks, eight kills on a .889 hit percentage. Earlier this month, 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.
Towson-Hofstra By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Trails Hofstra 20-41
at Towson, Hofstra Leads 8-15
at Hofstra, Hofstra Leads 8-18
at Neutral Sites, Hofstra Leads 4-8
at Unknown Sites, N/A
First Meeting, 1982 (Hofstra 2-0)
Last Meeting Sept. 19, 2021
Towson 3, Hofstra 1
Streak Towson +1
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 Saturday, Towson Would...
- Win their 14th conference match this season.
- Extend its winning streak to seven matches.
- Tie Hofstra for first place in the CAA.
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 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 99-26 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: 13-1 | 2021: 12-4 | 2021 (spring): 2-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 101-26 (.795)
Top of the Charts
- Now in his 21st season as an NCAA volleyball head coach, Coach
Don Metil has amassed 446 wins.
- Metil is 446-205 all-time (.685) 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: 216-75
- Metil passed Cathy Cain on the all-time wins list after knocking off #7 Pittsburgh earlier this season.
-
Don Metil: 216-75 (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 95-24 (.798) 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 18 straight at home since October 3, 2021.
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra currently sits in first place in the CAA with a 14-0 conference record and a 17-9 overall record. The Pride hosted the Hofstra Invitational and swept their opening match against Niagara but lost the remaining matches to Miami U and Bryant. Hofstra defeated Seton Hall in four sets then competed in the Denver Invitational. The Pride was swept by Butler and lost in four sets to both Portland and Denver. Hofstra picked up a four-set victory against St. Francis Brooklyn. The Pride played in the Syracuse Invitational and were swept by Army and Yale while losing in four sets to Syracuse. Hofstra opened CAA play wins two four-set wins against Stony Brook. The Pride picked up two wins against North Carolina A&T, then followed up with two victories against Hampton. The Pride defeated Charleston twice in four sets, then picked up two wins against UNCW. Hofstra was victorious against Delaware twice in four sets but lost to Chicago State in four sets. Last weekend, the Pride remained perfect in the CAA with two victories against Northeastern. Chiara Cucco has the most digs in the CAA with 430 and ranks third in the conference with 4.57. Yagmur Cinel ranks in the CAA in aces per set with 0.4.
