HAMPTON, Va. - The Tigers opened the 2010 season with a pair of victories on day one of the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament hosted by Hampton. Towson (2-0) earned a 3-0 win over South Carolina State in the opener and gave Head coach Bruce Atkinson a win in his Tiger debut. The Tigers then rallied for a 3-2 come from behind win over UMES in the afternoon match.
Atkinson is the third coach in Towson volleyball history to win his first two matches on the sidelines. He joins Margo VerKruzen and Terry McQuaid.
"I was happy with a pair of victories in the opening matches," said Atkinson. "We had several players step up at various points in the two matches. Katy Buck was strong in her first two collegiate matches while Susan Gansor and Shelynne Hoyt had some big plays in the middle."
"Evan Schulz had a big serve for us in the fifth set against UMES that kind of set the tone," added Atkinson.
In the first match of the day, the Tigers hit .247 to South Carolina State's .046 and claimed the 3-0 win. The Tigers took the first set by a 25-19 and earned a hard-fought 25-21 victory in the second set. Towson sealed the victory with a 25-13 win in the third set. Buck and Gansor led the Tigers with nine kills apiece in the contest. Buck added three service aces and four digs in her collegiate debut. Schulz contributed 31 assists while Lauren Tonokawa had 12 digs. Jarne Gleaton led South Carolina State with nine kills.
The match against UMES saw the Tigers trailing 2-0 after two sets. The Hawks took set one by a 25-17 margin before taking set two by a 25-21 mark. Towson tied the match with a 25-13 win in the third set and a 25-20 win in the fourth set. The Tigers sealed the victory with a 15-8 win in the fifth set. Towson hit .219 to UMES' .171 in the match.
The Tigers had three players register double digit kills in the match. Buck led the way with 15 kills while Kelsey Hoefer added 13 kills and Gansor finished with a career-high 12. Schulz had her second 30+ assist match of the day when she finished with 33 helpers. Tonokawa posted 13 digs for the Tigers. Stephanie Sierra led UMES with 39 assists in the contest.
The Tigers return to action on Saturday for day two of the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament. Towson faces Bryant at 9 a.m. and Hampton at 12 noon.
-- TIGERS --
