Towson Volleyball Tops Western Illinois in Four Sets to Close Mizzou Invitational

Towson University volleyball bounced back from a difficult opening day by defeating Western Illinois in four sets Saturday afternoon to close the Mizzou Invitational in Columbia, Missouri.

After dropping the opening set 25-22, the Tigers responded by winning the next three, 25-19, 25-19 and 25-17, to secure their first victory of the 2026 season. Towson improved to 1-2 while Western Illinois fell to 0-2.

The performance represented a strong response for Towson after the Tigers dropped matches to Idaho and Missouri on Friday. Towson lost a five-set match to Idaho after winning the first two sets, then fell in straight sets to Missouri later that evening.

Against Western Illinois, however, the Tigers found the offensive consistency they had been searching for.

Towson Takes Control After Opening Set

Western Illinois came out strong in the first set, recording 14 kills with only four attacking errors on the way to a 25-22 victory.

Towson quickly changed the match in the second.

The Tigers produced 16 kills while hitting an outstanding .519 in the frame. Western Illinois managed only seven kills and hit .074 as Towson evened the match with a 25-19 victory.

That second-set performance established the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

Towson finished the match hitting .292 compared with just .118 for Western Illinois and held a commanding 57-38 advantage in kills. The Tigers outhit the Leathernecks in all four sets.

Tigers Rally in Third Set

Western Illinois briefly regained momentum in the third set, jumping out to an 8-5 advantage.

Towson answered with one of its most important runs of the match.

The Tigers went on an 8-3 surge to turn the deficit into a 13-11 lead. They remained in control from there and eventually closed the frame with a 7-3 run to take another 25-19 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The ability to respond after falling behind was particularly encouraging after Towson struggled to finish sets during Friday’s season-opening loss to Idaho.

Eight-Point Run Finishes the Job

Western Illinois again made Towson work in the fourth.

The Leathernecks held a 14-13 advantage midway through the set before the Tigers completely took over.

Towson scored eight consecutive points to build a 21-14 lead. Ava Drye later recorded a kill, and consecutive Western Illinois attacking errors helped Towson finish off a 25-17 set victory and the four-set match win.

The final three sets demonstrated just how dominant Towson became defensively.

After Western Illinois recorded 14 kills in the opening set, the Tigers limited the Leathernecks to nine or fewer kills in each of the final three frames.

Moran Directs Towson Offense

Kaitlyn Moran delivered one of Towson’s strongest individual performances of the opening weekend.

Moran recorded a match-high 30 assists while adding 10 digs to finish with a double-double. She has now reached at least 30 assists in two of Towson’s first three matches of the season.

Peyton Meyer also contributed 18 assists as Towson spread its offense across several attackers.

That balance helped the Tigers generate 57 kills and their best overall hitting percentage of the weekend.

Rice and Priniotaki Lead Attack

Anna Rice and Evi Priniotaki led all players with 13 kills apiece.

Rice continued her productive start to the season. She has recorded at least 12 kills in each of Towson’s first three matches and delivered a complete performance against Western Illinois with five service aces, five blocks and nine digs in addition to her 13 kills.

Priniotaki delivered an especially encouraging performance for the Tigers.

The rookie recorded season highs with 13 kills, four blocks and a .385 hitting percentage.

Drye added nine kills and three blocks, while Destini Pickett finished with six kills.

Towson’s ability to generate offense from multiple spots made life significantly more difficult for the Western Illinois defense.

Vorel Dominates at the Net

Clara Vorel was a major factor defensively.

Vorel finished with a match-high nine blocks, helping Towson control play at the net during the final three sets. Rice added five blocks, Priniotaki contributed four and Drye finished with three.

Megan Platt led Towson with 12 digs while Moran had 10, Rice nine and Taylor Pagan eight.

Kennedy Adair led Western Illinois with nine kills.

Tigers Salvage Opening Weekend

The victory allowed Towson to leave Columbia with something positive following a challenging opening weekend.

The Tigers began the season Friday with a five-set loss to Idaho. Towson led that match two sets to none before the Vandals came back to win the final three frames.

Later Friday, Towson fell 3-0 against host Missouri despite actually holding a 38-36 advantage in kills. The Tigers’ 18 attacking errors and Missouri’s .299 hitting percentage proved costly.

Saturday provided a much cleaner performance.

Towson reduced its mistakes, hit efficiently and showed an ability to respond when Western Illinois grabbed early leads.

The result gives the Tigers a 1-2 record heading back to Maryland.

What’s Next

Towson returns to Maryland for a matchup against Loyola University Maryland on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at Reitz Arena in Baltimore.

The Tigers then host Saint Peter’s on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. for their home opener.

MSB Take

This was exactly the response Towson needed after Friday.

The 0-2 start did not necessarily tell the whole story. Towson had Idaho in serious trouble before allowing that match to get away and then faced an SEC opponent in Missouri later the same day.

The more important question was how the Tigers would respond.

They answered it Saturday.

After losing the first set against Western Illinois, Towson could have allowed another match to begin slipping away. Instead, the Tigers became better as the afternoon progressed.

The .519 hitting percentage in the second set jumps off the page, but the balance throughout the lineup may be even more encouraging.

Rice continues to produce like a go-to offensive option, Priniotaki showed what she can provide as a rookie, Moran controlled the offense with 30 assists and Vorel gave Towson a major presence at the net.

That is the kind of balanced volleyball Towson will need when conference play arrives.

Starting the season 1-2 is not ideal, but finishing the opening tournament with three consecutive set victories and a convincing win gives Towson something worthwhile to build on.

For a team still developing its identity early in the season, Saturday was a positive step forward.