The 2021 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Volleyball Championship presented by Primis gets underway Thursday evening from SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.

The six-team tournament begins with fourth-seeded Delaware taking on the fifth seed Northeastern at 4 p.m. EST. The next matchup features third-seeded Charleston and sixth-seeded Hofstra at 6:30 p.m.

The winners of the quarterfinal matchups will advance to the semifinals on Friday, November 19. Top-seeded Towson awaits the winner of Delaware and Northeastern for a 4 p.m. showdown, while second-seeded Elon will face the winner of Charleston and Hofstra at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

The winners from each semifinal match will advance to the CAA Championship match on Saturday, November 20, at 3 p.m.

Towson (24-4, 12-4 CAA) enters the conference tournament as the two-time defending CAA Champions, looking for its third straight title. The Tigers lead the CAA in team hitting percentage (.272) and hold its opponents to the lowest hitting percentage (.131) in the league. Additionally, Towson ranks first in the CAA in assists per set (12.12), kills per set (13.20) and blocks per set (2.65). Fay Bakodimou leads Towson with 2.88 kills per set, followed closely by Emily Jarome with 2.77 kills per set and Nina Cajic with 2.64 kills per set. Bakodimou also leads the CAA with 57 service aces (0.57 per set). Defensively, Towson flaunts a pair of middle blockers with over 100 total blocks. Lydia Wiers leads the team with 113 blocks (1.10 per set), and Nikiya Mitchell is second with 112 blocks (1.18 per set). The Tigers are the only team in the conference with two players over 100 blocks.

Elon (16-10, 11-5 CAA) is making just its third appearance in the CAA tournament, coming off a program-best 11-5 record in conference play. The Phoenix rank second in the CAA in hitting percentage (.250) and third in kills per set (12.42). On the attack, Elon is paced by the 2020 CAA Player of the Year, Leah Daniel. Daniel leads the CAA with 369 kills and ranks second in the league in kills per set (4.01). Haylie Clark facilitates the offense, ranking second in the conference in assists (868) and third in assists per set (9.43). Freshman Sydney Love has provided some depth on the outside, ranking second on the team with 217 kills (2.49 per set). On the backline, Jordan Gower leads the team with 4.02 digs per set, and at the net, it’s Jenn Krzeminski leading the way with 110 blocks (1.21 per set). Krzeminski ranks third in the CAA in blocks per set this fall.

Charleston (16-11, 9-7 CAA) heads to the CAA tournament for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. The Cougars’ defense has been solid this season, ranking first in the conference in digs per set (15.23) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.182). It has been a team effort as six individuals have recorded 150 or more digs. Gabi Bailey has been a solid two-way player for Charleston, leading the team with 266 digs (2.49 per set) and ranking second with 306 kills (2.88 per set). Bailey leads the CAA with 11 double-doubles in large part to her effort on both sides of the net. Lexi Wierzbicki is the Cougars’ top attacking threat, posting a team-high 320 kills (2.99 per set), while Claire Campbell paces the team with 113 blocks (1.06 per set).

Delaware (14-12, 8-8 CAA) enters the tournament on a three-match winning streak, making the tournament field for the second time in the last three seasons. The Blue Hens have been stellar from the service line this season. They lead the CAA and rank fourth in the NCAA, averaging 2.21 service aces per set. Savannah Seemans leads the team with 43 service aces (0.45 per set) and ranks second with 259 kills (2.70 per set). Lani Mason is the leader of the Delaware squad, pacing the team with 327 kills and ranking second with 226 digs (2.35 per set). Mason ranks third in the CAA with 3.41 kills per set this season. Ezgi Basaranlar contributes big time from the setter position. Basaranlar leads the team with 750 assists (8.93 per set) and also has 149 digs (1.77 per set), 50 kills (0.60 per set), 45 blocks (0.54 per set) and 37 service aces (0.44 per set).  

Northeastern (12-14, 8-8 CAA) returns to the CAA tournament after finishing runner-up during the spring. It was the Huskies’ fourth appearance in the championship match, but they have yet to claim the CAA title. Northeastern will be looking to take the next step this go-around. Erica Staunton leads the team in kills (230) and kills per set (3.07), while Nailah Jenkins ranks second with 193 kills (2.19 per set). Kayla Martin anchors the backline, leading the team with 386 digs. Martin ranks second in the CAA, averaging 4.11 digs per set this fall. 

Hofstra (14-13, 8-8 CAA) saw its streak of eight straight appearances in the CAA tournament snapped in the spring, but the Pride is back and ready to contend this season. Hofstra has wealth of young highlighted by Beatriz Alves, Chiara Cucco and Florencia Wolkowyski. Alves leads the CAA in assists (965) and assists per set (9.75), while Cucco paces the conference in digs (465) and digs per set (4.70). Wolkowyski ranks second on the Pride with 219 kills (2.77 per set). Graduate student Ana Martinovic provides experience leadership for the bunch. Martinovic leads Hofstra with 299 kills (3.02 per set) and is second on the team with 239 digs (2.41 per set). Sarah Pierre joins the Pride statistical leaders atop the CAA, leading the conference with 1.32 blocks per set this season.  

Full coverage of the CAA Volleyball Championship presented by Primis will be streamed on FloVolleyball (flosports.link/CAAonFlo). To stay up to date with what is happening be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, recaps, and more, visit CAASports.com.  

2021 CAA Volleyball Championship presented by Primis

Thursday, November 18 – CAA Championship Quarterfinals

Match 1: #4 Delaware vs #5 Northeastern – 4 p.m.

Match 2: #3 Charleston vs #6 Hofstra – 6:30 p.m.

Friday, November 19 – CAA Championship Semifinals

Match 3: #1 Towson vs Winner Match 1 – 4 p.m.

Match 4: #2 Elon vs Winner Match 2 – 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 20 – CAA Championship Finals

Match 5: Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4 – 3 p.m.