When           Friday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. vs. Loyola
                    Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. vs. Coppin State
                    Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. vs. Seton Hall
Where          TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Stream         FloVolleyball
Series          Towson leads Loyola 46-10
Towson leads Coppin State 12-0
Towson leads Seton Hall 3-1
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University Tigers volleyball team returns to TU Arena this weekend for the second home invitational of the season. The Tigers will face Loyola and Coppin State on Friday at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively. On Saturday, the Black & Gold match up against the Seton Hall Pirates at 4 p.m. in the final non-conference match of the 2024 campaign.
 
LAST WEEK'S RECAP
Towson went on its first road trip of the 2024 season to Halton Arena for the Charlotte Invitational last weekend. 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 Friday afternoon. The Tigers are 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 redeemed themselves 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 to bring her season total to 16, which is tied for tenth in Division I.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
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 on Saturday night, 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 bring back nine returners 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.
 
Junior middle blocker Erin Brothers and junior defensive specialist/libero Sydney Stewart each garnered All-CAA honorable mention accolades in the preseason poll as well. Brothers ranked fourth in the CAA in blocks/set in 2023, averaging 0.99. Stewart averaged 4.22 digs/set a season ago, planting her third in the league. Stewart totaled double-digit digs in 24 of 28 matches played.
 
The 2024 roster features 15 newcomers, including six freshman and nine transfers. Highlighting the group is transfer Sarah Callender from William & Mary, Belmont transfer Izzy Schauer, and freshmen outside hitter Ava Nakai and setter Kaitlyn Moran.
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Loyola comes to Towson at 1-5 overall through two weekends of play. The Greyhounds lone win came in the opening match of the season against Queens (N.C.). They lost in straight sets vs. Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent UNCW to follow before falling to East Carolina. In the second weekend, Loyola fell in straight sets to Villanova and five sets vs. Princeton and Old Dominion. Outside hitter Lauren Link was a preseason All- Patriot League selection as the team was picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Coppin State comes to TU Arena at 4-4 overall. The Eagles opened the season against CAA foe Northeastern and beat the Huskies in straight sets at the Red Storm Invitational. The Eagles also have wins over Central Connecticut State, Niagara and Penn. Coppin State fell in straight sets to Duquesne, the only common opponent faced by both them and the Tigers thus far, at the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic. The Tigers topped the Dukes in straight sets in the opening weekend of play at TU Arena. Outside hitter TaKenya Stafford was picked as an All-MEAC selection as the Eagles were picked to finish second in the conference preseason poll.
 
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
Seton Hall enters the invitational at 3-3 overall on a three-match winning streak from the Seton Hall Classic last weekend, with wins over Sacred Heart, NJIT and Kent State. The Pirates were picked seventh in the Big East preseason poll before the season.
 
HOT START
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. 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.
 
leading the ambush
Outside hitter Victoria Barrett stands fourth in the CAA with 92 kills through seven matches (27 sets). The Virginian is just two kills behind the 50th-ranked player in Division I, Hailey Brockway of CSUN, with 94 kills. Among points leaders in Division I, Barrett ranks 29th nationally with 116.5. Middle blocker Ylenia De Mango is sixth among league leaders in the CAA in blocks with 27.0 through two weeks of play. Libero Sydney Stewart ranks second in the league with 16 service aces and is tied for 10th among national leaders in the category. Her 0.59 ace per set average is 46th in all of Division I.
 
Among the nation's best
The Black & Gold stand among the best in Division I in multiple team categories. Through two weeks of play, the Tigers' 59 total aces stand seventh in the country and their 2.19 aces per set average is 22nd. Towson has also held opponents to a .130 hitting percentage, which is 16th among NCAA leaders. The Tiger defense's 62.5 team blocks are tied for 30th in the country. At 6-1 through two weeks, Towson's win-loss percentage is .857, which is tied for 30th among national leaders.
 
Hitting the Sweet Spot
Towson holds the top hitting percentage in the conference after the opening weekend of play with a .246 clip. The next closest team is Elon at .226. The Tigers stand third in the league with 309 total kills through 27 sets played. Elon and Stony Brook stand ahead of the Tigers with 365 in 29 sets and 357 through 28 sets respectively.
 
Protect this House
- Since moving into TU Arena full-time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 116-27 (.811) overall record at home.
- The Tigers have seven 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 63-5 (.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.
- The Tigers finished 2018 strong at home with a three-match win streak.
 
A League of Their Own
-Since 2015, Towson has been one of the top teams in the CAA. The Tigers have recorded a 103-27 record in league play since then, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019.
-Towson finished conference play at 14-2 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.
2023 14-2 | 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: 103-27 (.792)
 
Top of the Charts
- Now in his 23rd season as an NCAA volleyball head coach, Coach Don Metil has amassed 481 wins.
- Metil is 481-213 all-time (.693) 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: 251-83
- Metil passed Cathy Cain as the all-time wins leader after knocking off #7 Pittsburgh on Sept. 10th, 2022.
- Don Metil: 251-83 (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".
-TowsonTigers.com-