Towson volleyball takes down Morgan State in first game of Morgan/Towson Invitational

By Jake Shindel, Deputy Sports Editor

Towson volleyball coach Don Metil has not lost two straight games since his team lost three straight in September 2018. No current players were a part of that squad.

There aren’t many chances for him to lose two straight- the team went 29-2 last year and 26-5 the year before that. After the team split a two-game series last weekend at South Carolina, Metil’s squad was at risk of losing two in a row. Towson jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the first set and didn’t look back.

“We’re just playing really sloppy right now,” Metil said. “We need to find a way to motivate ourselves from within. Obviously, after set one, we won by 10 points, and then we just fell apart. We just gotta get back to the drawing board and figure out what our identity is going to be this fall.”

A kill by opposite hitter Sara Wasiakowska gave Towson a 25-15 first-set win. Outside hitters Nina Cajic and Irbe Lazda led Towson with three kills in the set. During last year’s matchup between the two teams, Cajic and Lazda led the team in kills among players who are still on the team this season. 

“Irbe is probably the most consistent player we have right now. Whether it’s South Carolina or Morgan, she’s just a consistent performer,” Metil said. “We’re not getting that consistency out of some of our other positions, so it’s something that we just need to go back and figure out what’s going to be our best lineup for the team. 

The Tigers were down 16-12 around halfway through the second set. The teams traded points, eventually tied at 23 apiece in the second set. Towson eventually won, taking a 2-0 lead. Cajic continued her strong start to the game with six kills in the second set. Lazda contributed another four, bringing the combined total between Lazda and Cajic to 16 kills in the first two sets. 

Towson ran into a bit of trouble late in the third set, breaking Morgan State’s scoring run by taking a 20-19 lead. Morgan State took a 24-22 lead, but the two teams tied the score at 25. After trading points a couple more times, Towson won the set 29-27 and the match 3-0. 

“This team has the experience in winning those tight sets,” Metil said. “I think since [2021], battling back against Elon, we’ve been having that experience. For us, it’s good, but I don’t think we should ever be in that situation in the first place.”

Towson’s next game is at home on Friday at 7 p.m. against Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Jake Shindel

Jake Shindel has been a member of The Towerlight since the fall of 2020. He has served as a writer, associate editor, Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor, and now Deputy Sports Editor. He has also held internships with The Daily Record and Baltimore Fishbowl, as well as PressBox Online, the Baltimore Blast, and Towson Sports Network.