The William & Mary volleyball team lost a hard-fought decision at Towson Saturday night, by a 3-1 count.  The Tribe moves to 8-15 on the year and 2-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while the Tigers improved to 21-4 (8-3 CAA).

Although Towson took the first set, 25-18, the Green and Gold was able to build some momentum late in the set to carry over into the second.  That was evident early, as a Tigers' service error at 3-3 ignited an 11-1 run for the Tribe.  That span included two kills and a block for senior Mallory Brickerd (Ashburn, Va.) and a solo block for her classmate Carolyn Albright (Raleigh, N.C.), beginning a big night for the middle-blocker from down south.  Senior Dessi Koleva (Torrance, Calif.) scored back-to-back points on a kill and an ace shortly thereafter, and Albright came with her second solo block of the set, before the W&M lead would grow as a large as 22-9.  Towson made things a bit more respectable with a run to 16 points, but junior Gabrielle Pe (Virginia Beach, Va.) snuck in a kill of her own to claim the win at 25-16.

The third set was tight the whole way, with Towson's largest lead of four coming early at 8-4.  W&M bounced right back, though, earning a tie at 12-12 after kills from Heather Pippus (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Koleva, and took the lead 13-12 after a block by sophomores Sydney Biniak (Elkridge, Md.) and Paige Humphrey (Oak Hill, Va.).  Points were traded back and forth, with the Tribe unable to break away, until 18-16, when Brickerd and Albright forced a timeout with a thunderous block.  It was also notable for being Albright's 400th career block, and making her just the fourth player ever for W&M to achieve that lofty milestone.  She then followed up with a kill immediately after the timeout to push the lead to its widest, 19-16.  Towson would eventually retake the lead at 22-21 and go on to win the set 25-22, before riding momentum in the fourth set to a 25-15 win and the match.

On the day, Albright had eight kills on a .316 attack to go with her three blocks.  Koleva earned a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs, and also had an ace, while sophomore Austyn Ames (Wichita, Kan.) also reached double-double territory with 23 assists, 10 digs, and another ace.  Brickerd and Biniak both had nine kills, Brickerd pairing hers with three blocks and Biniak two blocks and ace.

Also of note, Humphrey led all players with five blocks to go with four kills.  Pippus had eight kills and 12 digs, and Pe flirted with a double-double, with 21 assists and nine digs.  Sophomore Sara Zumbach (Franklin, Tenn.) rounded out the notables, making 12 digs.

William & Mary has two more road matches this week, spaced about evenly through the week.  The Tribe travels to Elon on Wednesday night, Oct. 28, for a 7 p.m. match-up, before heading to Delaware on Sunday, Nov. 1, for a 1 p.m. start.