Towson Volleyball Sweeps Saint Peter’s in Home Opener for Third Straight Win
TOWSON, Md. — Towson 3, Saint Peter’s 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-16).
The Towson Tigers continued their early-season surge Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in three sets during their 2026 home opener at SECU Arena. Towson controlled the match offensively, hitting .369 as a team while rolling to a 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 victory. The win improved the Tigers to 3-2 and gave Towson its third consecutive victory after beginning the season with two losses at the Mizzou Invitational. Saint Peter’s dropped to 0-6 with the loss.
Towson’s offense was the biggest difference throughout the match. The Tigers finished with 52 kills against only 11 attacking errors on 111 attempts, while Saint Peter’s was held to a .133 hitting percentage. Towson became increasingly efficient as the match progressed, hitting .378 in the second set before erupting for a .531 percentage in the third. The Tigers committed only two attacking errors while recording 19 kills on 32 swings in the final frame.
Anna Rice delivered another strong performance to lead the Towson attack. Rice recorded a match-high 14 kills while hitting .462, adding five digs and four blocks in an impressive all-around showing. She has now reached double-digit kills in each of Towson’s first five matches and had hit at least .310 in four of those contests following the Saint Peter’s victory. Her .462 hitting percentage against the Peacocks represented her best mark of the young season.
Malinah Purcell-Telefoni was nearly unstoppable herself, finishing with 11 kills without committing an attacking error. Purcell-Telefoni hit an outstanding .611 while also contributing five digs and four blocks. Her efficiency helped Towson establish control at the net, particularly late in the first set and throughout the decisive third set. With Rice and Purcell-Telefoni producing at that level, Saint Peter’s had few answers for Towson’s front-row attack.
Setter Kaitlyn Moran continued her productive stretch by registering 26 assists and 10 digs for another double-double. It marked Moran’s third consecutive match with a double-double, providing Towson with steady production both offensively and defensively. Clara Vorel also continued a consistent start to the season by recording multiple blocks for the fifth straight match. Towson finished with eight total blocks compared with four for Saint Peter’s.
Tigers Grab Control Early
Towson established the tone immediately in the opening set. A 5-0 Tigers run that included two Rice kills and a block helped Towson build an early 6-2 advantage. Saint Peter’s responded and closed the deficit to 8-7, but Towson answered by rebuilding its advantage before kills from Rice and Vorel helped stretch the margin to 18-11. The Tigers appeared to have the set under control, although Saint Peter’s still had one push remaining.
The Peacocks scored four consecutive points while trailing 21-16, with Karolina T. Rodriguez Mendez supplying two service aces during the run. That suddenly cut Towson’s advantage to 21-20 and put some pressure on the Tigers late in their home-opening set. Towson did not allow Saint Peter’s to score again, however, closing the frame with four consecutive points. Purcell-Telefoni was involved in two blocks during the closing run as the Tigers secured the opening set, 25-20.
Towson Pulls Away Again in Set Two
The second set remained much closer during its opening stages. Neither team created much separation before Towson put together a three-point run behind the serving of Taylor Pagan. Saint Peter’s eventually worked its way back into the set and tied the score at 10-10, but the Tigers again found another gear when the set reached its middle stages. Towson turned a narrow 14-13 advantage into a commanding lead by winning seven of the next eight points.
Five Towson kills helped fuel that run and pushed the Tigers in front 21-14. Saint Peter’s responded with another late four-point surge and trimmed the deficit to 22-19, keeping the Peacocks within striking distance. Rice then helped slam the door with two kills during the final stretch. Towson took the second set 25-20 and moved within one set of completing the sweep.
Tigers Dominate the Final Set
Towson left considerably less doubt in the third. Two early kills from Purcell-Telefoni helped the Tigers establish a 7-3 advantage, and Saint Peter’s never managed to completely recover. With Towson holding a 10-8 lead, the Tigers captured four of the next five points before producing another five-point run behind Destini Pickett’s service rotation. That stretch opened a commanding 19-10 advantage.
Towson continued siding out effectively and prevented Saint Peter’s from putting together the type of late comeback it had attempted in each of the first two sets. The Tigers finished the set with 19 kills and just two errors, overwhelming the Peacocks with their best offensive performance of the afternoon. Purcell-Telefoni finished the match with the final kill, giving Towson a 25-16 third-set victory. The point completed a convincing straight-set win in front of the Tigers’ home crowd.
Towson Building Early Momentum
The sweep represented another important step for a Towson team that started the year 0-2 after losses to Idaho and Missouri. The Tigers responded with a four-set victory against Western Illinois and then returned to Maryland to defeat Loyola Maryland in four sets. Saturday’s sweep of Saint Peter’s pushed the winning streak to three matches and moved Towson above .500 for the first time this season.
The momentum did not stop with the home opener. Towson traveled to Baltimore the following day and swept Morgan State 25-17, 25-21 and 25-10, improving to 4-2 while extending its winning streak to four matches. The Tigers hit an even better .425 against Morgan State and held the Bears to just .071, giving Towson consecutive straight-set victories. Through its first six matches, Towson was hitting .268 while limiting opponents to .144.
MSB Take
Towson looks like a completely different team from the one that dropped its first two matches in Missouri. The Tigers have responded with four consecutive wins, and the biggest positive has been the efficiency of their offense. Hitting .369 against Saint Peter’s and following that performance by hitting .425 against Morgan State shows that Towson is finding a rhythm quickly.
Rice has established herself as one of Towson’s most dependable offensive weapons, while Purcell-Telefoni gives the Tigers another hitter capable of completely taking over a match. Moran’s consistency at setter has also helped Towson keep its offense balanced, and the Tigers have enough blocking ability to make opponents work for points at the net. There will be considerably tougher tests ahead, especially once CAA play begins, but Towson’s response after starting 0-2 is exactly what the Tigers wanted to see during the opening weeks of the season.
