Towson swept by Arkansas in Tiger Invitational
By Kylie Jones, Sports Editor and Nayeli Alonzo, Staff Writer
The Towson Tigers set an all-time attendance record of 1,161 fans as they kicked off their play in the Tiger Invitational against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sept. 11.
After just three sets, the Tigers fell to the Razorbacks, starting the tournament 0-1.
The first set opened with a back-and-forth battle between the two teams until Arkansas gained some momentum with four consecutive points.
The Tigers continued to fight, with hitters Anna Rice, Ava Drye and Evi Priniotaki leading the way in scoring. The trio combined for 13 points in the first set.
Although the Tigers fought hard and kept pace, they fell short by two points, losing the first set, 26-24.
“I thought Evi played well in set one,” head coach Don Metil said. “I think we have people that are showing well for a period of time but not for a whole match duration.”
The Tigers exploded into the second set with an early lead of 5-2 accredited to kills by Taylor Pagan, Destini Pickett, and Priniotaki.
The Razorbacks responded with a 7-1 run to regain a narrow lead. A second 7-1 run from Arkansas put them above the Tigers by 7.
A final kill from Arkansas sealed their nine-point victory in the second set.
“With this young squad, there’s periods of greatness, and there’s more periods of inconsistency that we gotta work out quickly before we get into the conference,” Metil said.
Arkansas dominated throughout the third set, going on multiple scoring streaks to take the match 25-15. This was the Razorbacks second 3-0 sweep of the tournament, following their victory against Robert Morris University.
Despite the loss, Tiger Megan Platt led the game with 11 digs. The team finished with 29 kills, two aces and six blocks.
Priniotaki led in the scoring column for Towson, with 6.5 points.
“We just got to figure out how to bounce back with a positive mentality,” Metil said.
The Tigers wrap up their weekend of play with matches against Robert Morris and Howard University to close the Towson Invitational.
