When             Thursday, Nov. 21 – 6 p.m.
Where            TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Stream           FloVolleyball
Series            Towson leads the all-time series 15-0
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University volleyball team enters the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament, hosted by the Tigers at TU Arena, as the #3 seed, set to face #6 Stony Brook in the opening round on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. The winner of that match will face #2 Delaware in the semifinal match on Friday at 6 p.m.
 
The match will be streamed live on FloVolleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson closed its regular season with a series split against Hofstra at TU Arena. The Pride won three sets to two in the first match before the Tigers topped them in four sets in the regular season finale on Senior Day.
 
Towson faced Stony Brook in the final CAA road series of the season. The Tigers topped the Seawolves in three sets on the first match before a four-set victory in the second.
 
The Tigers hosted Northeastern in the penultimate home weekend of the CAA slate. The Tigers topped the Huskies in three-sets in both matches to improve to 11-3 in league play, securing a spot in the CAA Tournament in the process.
 
Towson faced Elon on the road in the third road weekend of the conference slate. In the first match of the series, the Tigers topped the Phoenix in four sets. Towson defeated Elon in straight sets in the second.
 
In the fifth week of league play, Towson faced Hampton at TU Arena. The Tigers handled the Lady Pirates in straight sets in both matches to get to 7-3 in CAA play and 13-0 at home this season.
 
Towson visited the Charleston Cougars in the fourth week of CAA play. The Tigers fell in three sets on Friday before dropping a five-set battle on Saturday.
 
Towson hosted North Carolina A&T in the second home weekend of the CAA slate. The Tigers handled the Aggies in two straight-set victories at TU Arena.
 
In the first CAA road trip of the season, the Tigers split two matches against the Delaware Blue Hens. In the first match, Delaware defeated Towson in four sets. The Tigers responded in match two with a five-set victory over the Blue Hens.
 
Towson opened the CAA slate against William & Mary. The Tigers handled the Tribe in straight sets in the first match before winning in five sets in the second to start 2-0 in conference play.
 
Towson closed its non-conference schedule with the Tiger Invitational at TU Arena in the third week of play. The Tigers defeated Loyola in four sets, Coppin State in a sweep and Seton Hall in another four-set victory.
 
Outside hitter Victoria Barrett was named the Tiger Invitational MVP while libero Sydney Stewart and middle blocker Ylenia De Mango each received All-Tournament accolades for their weekend performances.
 
Towson went on its first road trip of the 2024 season to Halton Arena for the Charlotte Invitational in the second week of the season. The Tigers faced Delaware State, Tennessee Tech and Charlotte. Towson split its two matches on Friday, beating the Hornets in straight sets before falling to the Golden Eagles in five sets in the afternoon. The Tigers were the first team to win a single set over Tennessee Tech this season and held a 12-8 advantage in set 5 before falling 17-15 in the deciding frame. The Tigers responded on Saturday with a three-set sweep vs. the hosting 49ers to close the weekend.
 
Outside hitter Zyare Abdul-Rahim and libero Sydney Stewart each earned All-Tournament recognition for their performances. Abdul-Rahim finished the weekend hitting .271 with 27 kills and three total blocks. Stewart totaled 47 digs and 13 assists, adding seven service aces.
 
Towson University outside hitter Victoria Barrett led the way for the Black & Gold in the opening weekend with a double-double in the opening match vs. Saint Francis (20 kills, 16 digs) and double-digit kill totals (20, 16, 11, 14) in all four to begin the year. Against Lehigh, four Tigers accumulated double-digit kills (Nakai - 19, Barrett - 11, De Mango - 10, Callender - 10).
 
Towson entered the 2024 season as the preseason favorite in the Coastal Athletic Association. The Tigers return nine players from last season's 24-6 run, including two-time All-CAA first team selection and 2022 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honorable mention Victoria Barrett.
 
Barrett was voted as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year and a preseason first team All-CAA selection after totaling a career-high 354 kills last season, averaging 3.34 kills/set, the fourth-best mark in the league. Barrett notched double-digit kills in 20 of 30 matches played.
 
The 2024 roster features 15 newcomers, including six freshman and nine transfers. Highlighting the group is transfer outside hitter Sarah Callender from William & Mary and freshmen outside hitter Ava Nakai and setter Kaitlyn Moran.
 
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
The Seawolves secured their spot in the CAA Tournament in the final weekend of the regular season with a series sweep over Campbell on the road, finishing 16-12 overall and 9-9 in conference play. The Seawolves boast two preseason all-conference selections in setter Torri Henry and outside hitter Leoni Kunz.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT
In the penultimate weekend series of the regular season vs. Stony Brook, outside hitter Victoria Barrett became the 13th player in Towson history to eclipse 400 total kills in a season. She now has 429, which is eight all-time in a single season in program history. Among career kill leaders, Barrett is now ninth all-time in program history with 1,112 kills over just three seasons.
 
COLLECTING HONORS
CAA Preseason Player of the Year Victoria Barrett was named the CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2 after the opening weekend of play. The senior amassed 61 kills on a .355 hitting percentage. She opened the season with a double-double against Saint Francis and totaled double-digit kills in all four matches of the weekend.
 
In the third week of play, Ylenia De Mango was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week after posting 21.0 blocks across three matches. The senior posted 1.91 blocks/set and 3.05 points/per set during the Tigers' perfect 3-0 weekend.
 
Barrett earned her second CAA Offensive Player of the Week award in the first weekend of conference play. The senior averaged 5.63 kills/set hitting at a .367 clip in the Tigers' 2-0 weekend over William & Mary.
 
Barrett collected her third CAA Offensive Player of the Week award in the third week of conference play. Barrett totaled 32 kills on a .365 hitting percentage, averaging 5.33 kills/set across two wins over North Carolina A&T.
 
In the fifth week of league play, outside hitter Ava Nakai was named the CAA Rookie of the Week after totaling 19 kills and just one error in two wins over Hampton. The Utah native posted a .621 combined hitting percentage across both matches, including a .765 clip in the first match with 13 errorless kills.
 
In the sixth week of conference play, Victoria Barrett earned her fourth CAA Offensive Player of the Week award after totaling 35 kills on 66 attempts in two victories over Elon, hitting at a combined .364 hitting percentage. Barrett eclipsed 1,000 Towson career kills in the first match of the weekend. Barrett hit .459 in Saturday's match with 21 kills, adding eight digs and an ace.
 
LEADING THE AMBUSH
Outside hitter Victoria Barrett is second in the CAA with 429 kills through 28 matches (104 sets). The Virginian stands 29th in Division I with that total. She's averaging 4.13 kills/set, which is second in the league and 43rd in the nation. Among points leaders in Division I, Barrett ranks 22nd nationally with 502.5. Her 4.83 points/set average is second in the league and 37th in DI.
 
Middle blocker Ylenia De Mango is second among league block leaders in the CAA with 115. The senior's 1.12 blocks/set is the fourth-best mark in the league.
 
Libero Sydney Stewart is sixth in the league with 37 service aces. Her .36 aces/set average stands sixth in the league.
 
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Black & Gold stand among the best in Division I in multiple team categories. The Tigers are 24th in the country with 196 total aces, and their 1.88 aces/set average is 20th. Towson has also held opponents to a .159 hitting percentage, which is 17th among NCAA leaders. On the offensive side, the Tigers are hitting at a .256 clip, which is 38th among national leaders. At 23-5, Towson's win-loss percentage is .821, which stands 20th in the nation.
 
PLAY THE HITS
Towson holds the top hitting percentage in the conference at a .256 clip. The next closest team is Delaware at .244. The Tigers stand fourth in the league with 1382 total kills in 104 sets played. The Tigers offense is holding opponents to a 1.72 blocks/set average, which is the second-best mark in the league behind Charleston.
 
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
Towson is holding opponents to 10.65 kills/set, which is best mark in the conference. Their 9.98 opponent assists/set average also leads the league.
 
FRESHMEN CONNECTION
The Tigers have two freshmen staples in their 6-2 rotation this season in setter Kaitlyn Moran and attacker Ava Nakai. The starting setter/opposite hitter combo in the rotation is junior setter Maisie Jesse and graduate opposite hitter Zyare Abdul-Rahim. The Tigers' reserve combination features setter Kaitlyn Moran and opposite hitter Ava Nakai. Moran ranks second on the team with 533 assists, fourth with 27 service aces and fifth with 172 digs. For Nakai, she stands third in kills with 206 and fifth in blocks with 42.0 for the Tigers.
 
FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Since 2019, Towson is 137-22 (.862) and has won 75 of 86 league games in that stretch, including a 16-0 mark in 2019. The Tigers earned trips to the NCAA Tournament after winning the CAA Tournament in 2019, Spring 2021, Fall 2021 and 2022.
 
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
- Since moving into TU Arena full-time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 128-28 (.821) overall record at home. That total includes CAA Tournament games played at TU Arena.
- The Black & Gold finished the 2024 regular season 16-1 at TU Arena.
- The Tigers have eight seasons with double-digit wins, including a perfect 16-0 mark in 2022 and a 17-1 mark in 2021.
- Dating back to 2019, the Black & Gold have amassed a 75-6 (.926) record in the arena.
- Towson went 3-0 at home in the shortened 2020 season (played in spring of 2021).
- The Tigers finished 2019 with a 12-1 overall mark at SECU Arena, with an 8-0 mark in the CAA.
 
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
-Since 2015, Towson has been one of the top teams in the CAA. The Tigers have recorded a 119-31 record (.793) in league play since then, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019.
-Towson finished conference play at 16-2 last season, including their first three-set loss in league play since 2018.
-The Black & Gold finished with a 15-1 mark two seasons ago, going a perfect 8-0 at home.                 
-Three years ago, The Tigers went 12-4 and never got swept.
2024: 14-4 | 2023: 16-2 | 2022: 15-1 | 2021: 12-4 | 2021 (spring): 2-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 119-31 (.793)
 
TOP OF THE CHARTS
- Now in his 23rd season as an NCAA volleyball head coach, Coach Don Metil has amassed 498 wins.
- Metil is 498-217 all-time (.697) 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: 268-87
- Metil passed Cathy Cain as the all-time wins leader after knocking off #7 Pittsburgh on Sept. 10th, 2022.
- Don Metil: 268-87 (2013-Pres.) | Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)
 
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".