
Tigers Surpass Seawolves in a Sweep to Advance to Semifinal Against Delaware
By Kylie Jones, Staff Writer
The No. 3 Towson Tigers begin their playoff run against the No. 6 Stony Brook Seawolves after the Tigers finished their season with a win against Hofstra. The Tigers hold a 2-0 record against Stony Brook this season, only allowing them one set. After just three sets, the Tigers were able to sweep the Seawolves, advancing to play No. 2 Delaware.
The Tigers came out strong, scoring four straight for themselves and quickly asserting their dominance. The Seawolves rallied back, however, bringing the game to a 6-6 draw and then taking the lead.
A kill by Ava Nakai and a service ace by Sydney Stewart would build some momentum for the Tigers, but Stony Brook wouldn’t make it easy. The Tigers and the Seawolves found themselves in a back-and-forth for the lead, but Towson was able to take advantage of the errors by Stony Brook.
Towson, now with a one point lead, would begin to excite things as Barrett delivered three kills to make the score 19-17, in favor of the Tigers. An impressive rally saved by sophomore setter Maisie Jesse would force Stony Brook into a timeout as the Tigers were just four points shy of taking the first set.
Now at set point, Zyare Abdul-Rahim would deliver a kill to take the first set for the Tigers with a score of 25-18.
The second set would begin with a series of rallies between the two teams, but Towson still managed a 6-2 lead over Stony Brook. The Seawolves fought back, gaining traction from multiple kills against the Tigers, bringing the score to 8-7.
Now tied, the Tigers needed to pull away. With two kills from Abdul-Rahim and one each from Barrett and De Mango, Towson was able to bring the score to 14-10. Stony Brook would take a timeout to get back on track, but Towson kept the kills coming.
The Tigers would continue to hold the lead until Stony Brook managed three straight points for themselves, putting them on top with a score of 22-21. They would take two more to bring themselves to set point, and the Tigers took a timeout in an attempt to rally back.
The Tigers timeout paid off. Two kills from Barrett after strong saves from Jesse and Stewart would bring Towson to a 24-24 draw. A service ace by Moran would take the Tigers to set point and freshman Ava Nakai would seal it for Towson with a kill, ending the second set with a score of 26-24.
Towson looked to take the match in the third set, but the Seawolves did not make it easy. Stony Brook’s offense began delivering early, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Tigers from battling back to a 10-10 draw and eventually taking the lead after three kills split between De Mango, Abdul-Rahim, and Barrett.
A five point run by Towson would extend their lead to four, and despite Stony Brooks’ attempt to rally back, the Tigers held the lead bringing the score to 20-16. Zyare Abdul-Rahim would then deliver three straight kills of her own for Towson, followed by a service ace from Maisie Jesse to bring Towson to their match point.
Another kill by Zyare Abdul-Rahim would deliver the final point as Towson swept the Seawolves from Stony Brook in straight sets with a final set score of 25-17.
Barrett led the team in kills with 19 total, while Abdul-Rahim followed with 12 of her own. Libero Sydney Stewart managed 21 digs, and setter Maisie Jesse totaled 23 assists to help the Tigers come out victorious.
Towson will face off against No. 2 Delaware, tomorrow, Friday Nov. 22, at 6 p.m. at TU Arena.