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“I thought we came out with maybe some home jitters in the first set,” said Towson coach Bruce Atkinson. “As the match went on we settled down and got some strong performances from I’ishah, Dayane and Marta Machos.
In the first set, the Tigers and Explorers (3-12) battled through nine ties and three lead changes. With the score tied at 14-14, La Salle scored four straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish. The Explorers continued to extend their lead as a kill from Jennifer Whelan gave the Explorers a 25-18 set win.
The start of the second set was dominated by the Tigers as the home team scored 11 straight points with senior Aubrey Kirven serving. Machos, who came off the bench to start the second set, had a pair of kills and block assists during that stretch. The Tigers extended their lead to 16-5 on a service ace from Machos. An attack error by the Explorers gave the Tigers a 25-12 set win and tied the match at 1-1.
The third set was another back and forth battle as there were 12 ties and four lead changes. Tied at 14-14, the Tigers took advantage of four La Salle attack errors and a bad set to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the match following a 25-17 win in the third set.
In the fourth set, Towson jumped out to a 12-7 lead on a kill from Keliikoa. The home team would extend its advantage to 18-10 on a kill from Kirven. Van Ass’ kill made it a 22-13 Tiger lead late and the Tigers would seal the victory on a service ace from sophomore Capri Tirrell.
Keliikoa tied her career-high with 13 kills and finished the match hitting .619, with no hitting errors in 21 attempts. She added eight blocks assists for the Tigers. Van Ass posted 12 kills and hit .500 for the match. Machos had 11 kills, hit .476 and added three block assists. Kirven, the reigning Colonial Athletic Association Co-Offensive Player of the Week, had 56 assists and six digs. Sophomore Paige Sekerak contributed 14 digs for the Tigers.
Whelan led La Salle with 12 kills and eight digs while Rachel Melich had 24 assists.
Towson returns to action when CAA play begins on Friday, Sept. 21. The Tigers host CAA defending champion, Delaware at 7 p.m. in the Towson Center.
