TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University volleyball team faced Northeastern in the second match of a two-match series on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers defeated the Huskies in straight sets at TU Arena in Towson, Md. The win secured the Black & Gold a spot in the CAA Tournament.
 
Zyare Abdul-Rahim led all players with 18 kills. Maisie Jesse added 28 assists to lead the field.
 
Records:

• Towson – 20-4, 11-3 CAA
• Northeastern – 8-14, 6-8 CAA

 
Key Stats

• Towson held a .293 to .193 hitting percentage advantage over Northeastern.
• The Tigers held a 6-1 service ace advantage over the Huskies.
• In the opening set, Towson outhit Northeastern .300 to .000.

 
How it Happened

• The first set opened with short rallies by both teams, with neither team getting more than a two-point lead before an 8-8 tie.
• Towson scored six of the next seven points for a 14-9 lead.
• Four of the next five points went to the Huskies before three-straight Tiger points gave them an 18-13 lead.
• At 20-17, Towson scored five of the final six points with kills from Erin Brothers, Sarah Callender and Ava Nakai, plus a Jesse service ace to win the first set 25-18.
• The start of set two was tightly contested, starting at a 4-4 tie.
• Towson scored six of the next eight points for a 10-6 lead.
• Moments later, Towson scored four of five to extend the lead to six at 14-8.
• Northeastern pulled within three on a run of three straight for a score of 16-13.
• After two Towson points, the Huskies scored four-straight to pull within one at 18-17.
• The teams followed that with four-consecutive two-point rallies to get to 22-21.
• Towson got its first set point at 24-23, which the Huskies won to tie the set.
• Towson followed with two-straight kills from Abdul-Rahim and Brothers for the 26-24 win in the set.
• The Tigers opened set three with an early 7-4 lead before Northeastern tied it on three-straight points.
• Short rallies on both ends took it to 10-10.
• Towson scored four of the next five points to take a 14-11 lead.
• A 5-1 run at 15-13 extended the Tiger lead to 20-14.
• The Black & Gold scored for of the final five points with a kill each from Abdul-Rahim, Ava Nakai and Victoria Barrett to win the set 25-17.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Barrett moved into 11^th place on Towson's all-time kills leader list with 1049 kills for the Black & Gold over three seasons.
• Jesse's 28 assists were her most in a match since Sept. 22 vs. William & Mary, when she totaled a season-high 36 assists.
• Abdul-Rahim's 18 kills are her most in a match in her two seasons with the Black & Gold.

 
Up Next
The Tigers will travel to Long Island for their final CAA road series against Stony Brook on Saturday and Sunday.