OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Victoria Barrett, Towson

Junior | Outside Hitter | Stafford, Va. / North Stafford 

Barrett paced the Towson attack, averaging 5.33 kills per set in a 2-0 weekend as the Tigers extended their winning streak to 10 consecutive matches. The junior outside hitter reached double figures in both contests against Northeastern, totaling 32 kills for the weekend. In the first matchup, Barrett tallied a match-high 16 kills, adding five digs, two blocks and one assist in a straight-set victory. She followed the performance with a match-best 16 kills, eight digs, two assists and two blocks to lead the Tigers to a 3-0 win in the weekend finale. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sydney Stewart, Towson

Sophomore | Defensive Specialist / Libero | Elizabethtown, Pa. / Elizabethtown HS 

Stewart was the linchpin of the Towson backline, recording 6.67 digs per set in back-to-back straight-set victories over Northeastern. The sophomore defensive specialist/libero had over 15 digs in each matchup, helping to limit the Huskies to a .133 hitting percentage for the weekend. On Saturday, Stewart tallied 18 digs while adding three assists and one service ace. She followed the effort with a career-high 22 digs, four assists and two service aces on Sunday as the Tigers won their fourth straight CAA Regular Season title. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Ava Jackson, Stony Brook

Freshman | Outside Hitter | Lexington, Ky. / Paul Laurence Dunbar

Jackson averaged 3.00 kills per set on a .388 attacking percentage to help Stony Brook to a weekend sweep over Long Island rival Hofstra. On Saturday, the freshman outside hitter tallied 11 kills, hitting .381 with one dig and one block in a five-set win. The victory was the first for the Seawolves over Hofstra since 1999 and secured Stony Brook a berth in the CAA Championship. On Sunday, Jackson notched a team-high 13 kills on a .393 hitting percentage, adding four digs and three blocks to lead Stony Brook to a win in straight sets. 

CONFERENCE NOTES:

TIGERS TAKE REGULAR SEASON TITLE

• Towson earned the CAA Regular Season title outright for the fourth consecutive season. The Tigers finished with a 16-2 recorded in CAA play, marking the third time in the last four years Towson tallied at least 15 wins in league play. TU has an impressive 61-7 (.897) record in conference play over the past five seasons.  

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD IS SET

• The 2023 CAA Volleyball Championship field has been set, with Campbell, Charleston, Delaware, Northeastern, Stony Brook and Towson qualifying for the conference tournament. Towson is the top seed, and Delaware is seeded second, receiving byes into the CAA Semifinals. Campbell earned the third seed, followed by Charleston, seeded fourth, Stony Brook, fifth, and Northeastern as the sixth seed. 

WHERE CHAMPIONS COME FROM

• Five teams have captured the CAA Championship since 2013, with Towson winning four straight conference titles. Charleston, Hofstra, UNCW and JMU are the additional teams to win during that period. The top three seeds have won the last nine league titles - the No. 1 seed has six victories, including four in a row.

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN 

• Towson makes its 10th consecutive appearance in the CAA Tournament, seeking its fifth straight CAA title. The Tigers are looking to become the first team since 1996 to win five CAA Championships in a row. Delaware reached the conference title match last season and returns attempting to snap an 11-year championship drought. The Blue Hens won four CAA titles in five seasons from 2007-2011. Charleston won its CAA Championship in 2013 and reached the title match four times in the past decade but is looking to return for the first time since 2017. Campbell qualified for the tournament in its first CAA season, and Stony Brook made it two appearances in two years since joining the league. Meanwhile, Northeastern has made the CAA Championship in eight straight seasons. The Camels, Huskies and Seawolves are searching for their first CAA title. 

LET’S GO STREAKING 

• Delaware extended its winning streak to 13 straight victories following a 2-0 weekend, and Towson has won 10 matches in a row after back-to-back wins. The CAA is one of two conferences in the NCAA, with two teams maintaining double-digit winning streaks. The streak for Delaware is its longest winning streak since 2010 and marks the third consecutive season a CAA team has posted a double-digit winning streak. Towson has a winning streak of at least eight straight matches in four of the past five seasons. 

TU AT TOWSON IN NOVEMBER

• The 2023 CAA Volleyball Championship returns to TU Arena on the campus of Towson University November 16-18. It marks the fourth straight season SECU Arena will play host to the CAA Volleyball Championship, the longest streak at one venue in league history. 

TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT FORMAT

• The 2023 CAA Volleyball Championship returns to its traditional six-team format this fall. The top six teams in the conference standings will qualify for the CAA tournament, with the top two seeds earning byes to the semifinals. First-round matchups include the third seed versus the sixth seed and the fourth seed against the fifth seed. 

TEAM NOTES:

Campbell

• Campbell completed back-to-back 2-0 weekends to end the regular season. The Camels defeated N.C. A&T in five sets on Saturday and four on Sunday.

• Gwen Wolkow paced Campbell with 35 kills (3.89/set) while adding 18 digs (2.00/set). The sophomore outside hitter tallied 17 kills and nine digs on Saturday before a career-high 18 kills and nine digs on Sunday. 

• Melody Paige contributed 18 kills (2.00/set) on a .394 hitting percentage with 12 blocks (1.33/set). On Saturday, Paige surpassed 1,000 career kills and is two blocks shy of 500 after the weekend.

Charleston

• Charleston went 2-0 against Hampton this weekend with a pair of straight-set victories. The Cougars ended the regular season winners in seven of their last eight matches. 

• Lexi Wierzbicki paced Charleston with 20 kills (.333/set), hitting .333 for the weekend. The graduate outside hitter reached double figures in both matches, including her eighth double-double (10K, 12D) of the year on Saturday. 

• Tynley Smeltzer tallied a team-high 24 digs, averaging 4.00 per set. The junior libero recorded 14 digs on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Smeltzer has 10 or more digs in 18 straight matches and 19 times this fall.

Delaware

• Delaware went 2-0 against Elon this weekend, extending its winning streak to 13 matches. It marks the longest winning streak for the Blue Hens since 2010. 

• Lani Mason paced Delaware with 33 kills (4.71/set) while adding 16 digs (2.29/set). The graduate outside hitter reached double-digit kills in both matches, with 12 on Saturday and 21 on Sunday. Mason has at least 10 kills in 11 straight contests.

• Ezgi Basaranlar facilitated the attack, recording 71 assists (10.14/set). The graduate setter had 23 helpers on Saturday before 48 on Sunday. She has 40 or more assists on nine occasions this season. 

Elon 

• Elon dropped its final two matches this season. The Phoenix fell to Delaware in three sets on Saturday and four on Sunday. 

• Sydney Love led the Phoenix with 31 kills (4.42/set). The junior outside hitter reached double figures in both contests, recording 14 kills on Saturday and 17 on Sunday. Love has 10 or more kills in 14 matches this season. 

• Jessica Parker tallied 50 assists (7.14/set), including a career-high 36 assists in the season finale. The Freshman added 10 digs on Sunday for her fourth double-double this season. 

Hampton

• Hampton went 0-2 in a pair of matches against Charleston this weekend. The Lady Pirates fell in straight sets on Saturday and Sunday. 

• Kristine Teivane led Hampton with 19kills (3.17/set) while adding 17 digs (2.83/set). Teivane recorded her second double-double this season with 11 kills and 12 digs on Saturday. She reached double-digit kills twice this fall. 

• Kylah Hunter paced the Lady Pirates with 24 digs (4.00/set). Hunter reached double figures with 13 digs on Saturday and 11 on Sunday. The junior defensive specialist had 10 or more digs eight times this year.

Hofstra

• Hofstra dropped back-to-back contests against Stony Brook over the weekend. The Pride fell in five sets on Saturday before a straight-set defeat on Sunday.

• Izadora Stedile paced Hofstra with 29 kills (3.63/set) and added 26 digs (3.25/set). The sophomore outside hitter reached double-digit kills in both matches, including her 12th double-double (17K, 17D) in the season finale. 

• Beatriz Alves contributed 79 assists (9.88/set) and 24 digs (3.00/set). The junior setter recorded back-to-back double-doubles, ending the year with five straight. 

North Carolina A&T

• North Carolina A&T went 0-2 against Delaware this weekend. The Aggies dropped back-to-back straight-set matches to the Blue Hens. 

• Naiya Sawtelle paced A&T with 35 kills (3.89/set). The junior outside hitter reached double figures in both contests, recording 15 kills on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. Sawtelle has at least 10 kills in 22 matches this season and 20 or more on five occasions.

• Kaili Doctor added 27 kills (3.00/set) for the Aggies. The freshman tallied 16 kills on Saturday, marking her 11th effort in double figures this season. In addition, she had 15 or more kills five times.

UNCW 

• The Seahawks won its final two matches this season, defeating William & Mary in back-to-back contests. UNCW won in straight sets on Saturday and five on Sunday. 

• Katie Lanz led the Seahawks with 25 kills (3.13/set), adding 25 digs as well. Lanz recorded double-digit kills in both matches, including her sixth double-double this fall with 10 kills and 20 digs in the finale. 

• Jadyn Barry paced UNCW with 41 digs (5.13/set). Berry tallied 20 digs on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, extending her double-digit dig streak. The senior libero has double-digit digs in 20 consecutive contests. 

Northeastern

• Northeastern dropped its final two matches this season against Towson. The Huskies fell in straight sets in back-to-back contests versus the Tigers. 

• Julianna Truscott recorded 16 kills (2.67/set) and 15 digs (2.50/set) for the Huskies. On Saturday, Truscott tallied her fifth double-double this season, recording 12 kills and 11 digs. 

• Defne Arliel added 16 kills (2.67/set) and eight digs (1.33/set). The senior outside hitter reached double figures with 12 kills in the opener. Arliel has 10 or more kills nine times this season.

Stony Brook 

• Stony Brook went 2-0 against Hofstra this weekend, extending its winning streak to six straight matches. It marks the first time since 1999 that the Seawolves defeated the Pride. 

• Ava Jackson paced Stony Brook with 24 kills (3.00/set) on a .388 hitting percentage. She recorded 11 kills on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. She has 10 or more kills in five of the last six matches. 

• Torri Henry recorded back-to-back double-doubles for the Seawolves. On Saturday, the senior tallied 41 assists and 17 digs before 28 helpers and 10 digs on Sunday. She has 17 double-doubles this fall.

Towson 

• Towson extended its winning streak to 10 matches following a 2-0 weekend. The Tigers defeated Northeastern in back-to-back contests. 

• Victoria Barrett paced Towson with 32 kills (5.33/set). The junior outside hitter had 16 kills in each match to lead both contests. Barrett has 10 or more kills 20 times this season, including 11 straight.

• Sydney Stewart was unconscious on the Towson backline, recording 6.67 digs per set. The sophomore defensive specialist totaled 40 digs for the weekend, recording 18 on Saturday and a career-high 22 on Sunday. 

William & Mary

• The Tribe dropped its final two matches this season on the road against UNCW. W&M fell in straight sets on Saturday before a five-set defeat on Sunday. 

• Sarah Callender led W&M with 19 kills (2.38/set), adding 25 digs (3.13/set). She recorded her eighth double-double this season with 12 kills and 15 digs on Saturday. Callender had double-digit kills in 10 matches this year and 10 or more digs 13 times. 

• Taylor Burrell reached double figures with 10 kills on Saturday. The graduate outside hitter concluded the year with double-digit kills in 18 matches this fall.