Match 32 · American (24-7) vs. Towson (28-2)
NCAA Tournament First Round
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 · 5 p.m. · University Park, Pa. (Rec Hall)
All-Time Record: AU leads, 17-6
Stream: BTN+
AU Game Notes

WASHINGTON - For the 18th time in program history, the American University volleyball team will play in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are set for an NCAA First Round match vs. Towson at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 at Penn State's Rec Hall. Patriot League Champion AU brings a 17-match win streak into the tournament, while the CAA Champion Tigers have won 22 straight.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

• The Eagles, winners of 17 straight matches, won the Patriot League Tournament and received an automatic NCAA berth for a 16th time in the 19 years since joining the league in 2001. 
• AU is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2013. 
• The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Second Round in 2015 and made recent NCAA First Round appearances in 2016 and 2017.
• AU had the most All-Patriot League honorees of any team in the conference, also garnering three major awards. Junior Olivia Wassner was named both the PL Setter of the Year and the PL Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while freshman Zeynep Uzen was named the PL Rookie of the Year. 
• Joining Wassner and Uzen on the All-Patriot League First Team was junior outside hitter Helena Elbaek, who was also named to the Patriot League All-Academic Team. 
• Senior Kristen Largay, the all-time AU leader in career digs with 1,992, was named to the Patriot League Second Team.
• The Eagles dropped their first PL match of the year at Colgate on Sept. 27, 3-1, and have not lost since. Among AU's 17 straight wins are nine 3-0 sweeps. 
• The Eagles defeated last year's PL champs, Navy, 3-1 in the PL semifinals and went on to beat Army, 3-1 in the Patriot League Championship.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

• Towson went 28-2 on the year and swept through the Colonial Athletic Association, going a perfect 16-0 in the regular season and defeating James Madison to clinch their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2004. 
• The Tigers were the first team since 1996 to complete a perfect CAA season. 
• Emily Jarome's 322 kills lead the team, while Marrisa Wonders paced the CAA with 1,199 assists. Sylvia Grassini and Lydia Wiers finished second and third in the conference with 124 and 114 blocks, respectively.
• Towson is one of just three teams in the NCAA Tournament to have five players with at least 200 kills. In additIon to Jarome, Olivia Finckel has 310, Annie Ertz has 261, Wiers has 249 and Grassini has 225. 
• Running the offense for the Tigers is 2019 CAA Player and Setter of the Year Wonders, who was also named CAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Towson's offense has hit .274 for the season, while limiting opponents to a .139 hitting percentage this year which ranks fourth in the country.
• With its win over JMU on Nov. 24, Towson extended its winning streak to 22 matches. That mark now stands as the program record, surpassing the previous best streak of 19, set by the 2003 team. Towson's winning streak currently ranks as the fourth-longest in the nation.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• AU leads Towson 17-6 all-time, but the teams have not faced each other since 2010.
• The Eagles swept the Tigers in that most recent match, 3-0 on Sept. 17, 2010.
• AU and Towson met at least once a year from 1976 until 1981 to open the series.
• The two teams are meeting for the first time in the postseason.

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