The Tigers No Longer Undefeated at Home After Tough Loss to Hofstra

By: Kylie Jones, Staff Writer

As the season winds down, the Tigers look to take on the Pride from Hofstra at home. The two day series would cap off the regular season for the Tigers. After a thrilling match between the two teams, Hofstra came out on top, downing the Tigers 3-2 and ending an eight game win streak for Towson. 

The first set started off as a back-and-forth battle between both teams. A service ace by Kaitlyn Moran of Towson would begin to get things going for the Tigers, however. The Tigers began to pull away, bringing the score to 10-6 as Hofstra called timeout. 

After timeout, the battle continued. The Hofstra Pride managed to grapple a few points for themselves, coming within two of the Tigers. Key kills from Barrett, Nakai, and Brothers kept the momentum going for Towson, bringing the score to 22-16.

A block by Ylenia De Mango would end the first set, taking it for the Tigers with a score of 25-17. 

The Hofstra Pride would find themselves atop the Tigers to start the second set with a score of 8-4. Three kills by Ava Nakai would build excitement for Towson, but that wouldn’t stop Hofstra as they stretched their lead to five. The Tigers would bring themselves within two after a pair of kills split between De Mango and Callender, and a service ace by Victoria Barrett. 

After a timeout by Hofstra, their lead grew further. They now led the Tigers by eight. Towson couldn’t seem to bounce back as Hofstra dominated the floor with kills to take this one home. The Pride would take the second set for themselves with a score of 25-14. 

The Tigers would start off the third set with a number of errors as Hofstra took the early lead. The Pride would lead the Tigers 10-5 as the Towson took to timeout. 

This timeout seemed to bring about a shift in the Tigers energy as they fought back to take the lead. Freshman Ava Nakai dominated the floor, leading the team in kills and attacks. 

The battle continued, however, as Hofstra would take the lead again, leading 21-17 and looking to finish off the third set. Despite the Tigers’ effort, Hofstra took the third set 25-18. 

The fourth set was do or die for the Tigers, and their energy reflected just that. Three kills from both Barrett and Nakai helped to keep the momentum going for Towson, and was enough to edge the lead over Hofstra. Towson now led 9-6 over the Pride. 

Hofstra fought back to a draw with the Tigers, 14-14, and would then take the lead, 17-14. After a timeout, though, Towson looked to fight back. After two electrifying kills from De Mango and one from Barrett, the Tigers were within one of the Pride. 

It would be four crucial kills delivered by Towson’s Victoria Barrett to help seal this set for themselves. The Tigers were able to edge over Hofstra with a final set score of 25-23, forcing a fifth set. 

It was a thrilling start to the fifth set, which was all or nothing for Towson as they looked to remain undefeated at home. The score remained tight, but Hofstra held onto the lead. 

After a number of strong volleys between the two teams, Hofstra was able to take the match point, despite a challenge from the Tigers. The final score was 15-12. 

Despite not coming out victorious, Towson’s Victoria Barrett and Ava Nakai had standout performances. Barrett boasted 15 kills and 38 attacks, while Nakai managed 12 kills and 37 attacks of her own.

The Tigers look to even the series against Hofstra tomorrow, Nov. 16, at 3:30 p.m. at TU Arena.