TOWSON, Md. – The William & Mary volleyball team rallied back from two sets down to force a fifth frame but concluded its conference-opening weekend with a 3-2 (14-25, 14-25, 25-21, 25-20, 6-15) setback at preseason favorite Towson on Sunday afternoon.
 
Maddie Meyers posted a double-double to lead the Tribe (4-7, 0-2) with a team-high 15 kills and 10 digs, while Amy Schwem nearly recorded a double-double with 17 assists and 11 digs to go with a pair of aces.
 
Sabrina Malcolm came up big at the net with a team-high eight blocks, while Haley Adams added a team-best 18 digs.
 
Olivia Esposito finished with six kills on a .308 hitting percentage, three blocks and a pair of aces.
 
After Towson (11-1, 2-0) claimed the first two sets with identical 25-14 scores, the third set opened in a tightly contested fashion as the teams were tied six times through the opening 16 points. After extending the margin to three on multiple occasions, W&M pulled ahead 17-11 following a pair of put-aways by Meyers, who totaled seven kills in the set. The Tribe pushed the margin to as many as eight, 23-15, after an ace by Schwem en route to securing the set.
 
Much like the third set, the fourth frame was close early as the Tribe gradually built a 12-9 cushion following a kill by Meyers. Although the Tigers pulled within one at 15-14, W&M registered a pivotal 5-0 run to build a comfortable lead it never relinquished to force a fifth set. Nicole Smith posted six of her 11 kills during the set on a .308 hitting percentage.
 
Towson scored nine of the first 10 points in the deciding frame and never led by fewer than seven points during the remainder of the contest.

Up Next 
The Tribe will return to action when it hosts Stony Brook at Kaplan Arena as part of Family and Alumnae Weekend next Friday (3 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.). Friday's contest will be W&M's Hidden Opponent Match, while Saturday's match will be broadcast on FloVolleyball.