Three of the top four seeds in the 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship presented by Primis won quarterfinal matches to advance to Friday's semifinals.

A day filled with excitement ended with a pair of thrilling reverse sweeps, setting up for a memorable 2022 championship. 

Top-seeded Towson, third-seeded Delaware and fourth-seeded Northeastern won as favorites, while seventh-seeded William & Mary was the lone upset Thursday at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University. 

No. 3 Delaware 3, No. 6 Charleston 2 (17-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-12)

Third-seeded Delaware went down two sets but was not out, as the Blue Hens completed the comeback, defeating sixth-seeded Charleston in a thrilling five-set match. It was Thursday’s last CAA Championship quarterfinal. 

Delaware improves to 16-10 this fall and advances to face seventh-seeded William & Mary in the CAA Championship semifinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. 

Charleston finishes the year 14-16 after the setback. 

Delaware seized momentum in the third set and carried it to the finish. With the season on the line, Delaware earned a 25-21 victory in the third frame and used it to propel itself to a reverse sweep.

Trailing 6-4, the Blue Hens went on a 6-0 run, with Lani Mason giving them a 12-8 advantage. The Cougars held strong at brought the set even at 14. 

The teams went back and forth to 16, and it was back-to-back points for Delaware that made the difference, as the Blue Hens took an 18-16 advantage and stayed in front the rest of the frame. 

Savannah Seemans recorded a kill, before a service ace from Amelia Painter gave Delaware the lead. 

Reverse sweep for @Delaware_VB in the final match of today's #CAAChamps Quarterfinals.

Highlights presented by https://t.co/R6RW4nSiAq ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ni4OoUSXSk

— Colonial Athletic Association (@CAASports) November 18, 2022

The Blue Hens carried the momentum into the fourth, scoring the first five points of the set en route to building a 7-1 advantage. Delaware never trailed in the frame, leading by six on four occasions. Charleston got within one twice at 11-10 and 23-22, but Delaware fended off the Cougars each time, winning the set 25-22.  

Delaware won the final three points in the decisive set, with Lily Rogers putting down the exclamation point, giving the Blue Hens a 15-12 set victory and the match. 

The Blue Hens used a 4-0 run to separate itself, with the teams tied 2-2. Delaware maintained the lead until a 4-0 run from the Cougars tied the set at 11 following a Charleston timeout. The teams battled to 12, before the late Delaware spurt.

The teams battled early in the opening set, but it was Charleston that took control with a 7-1 run, giving the Cougars an 18-11 lead. Jasmin Goei finished the spurt with a service ace after a Logan Pope kill began the run. 

Delaware cut the deficit to four at the 20-16 point, before Charleston scored five of the final six points, including four in a row to give the Cougars a 25-17 set victory. 

Charleston carried the momentum into the second set, winning 25-16 and taking a two-set advantage in the match. The Cougars opened the frame by taking seven of the first eight points, capped by an Anna Smith kill, as Charleston took a 7-1 advantage. They maintained the lead and used a 9-3 spurt later in the set to gain their largest lead at 24-13, before winning the frame.  

There were six double-doubles in the contest, three for each team. 

For the Blue Hens, Mason led the match with 23 kills and added 16 digs. Seemans had 10 kills and 17 digs, while Ezgi Basaranlar tallied a match-high 48 assists and 13 digs. Rogers was also crucial for Delaware, recording a career-high 15 kills.   

Gabi Bailey recorded 11 kills and 16 digs for Charleston, while the Cougars setting duo of Goei (23A, 16D) and Emma Appleman (23A, 11D) also recorded a double-double. Lexi Wierzbicki paced the Cougars with 19 kills. 

No. 7 William & Mary 3, No. 2 Hofstra 2 (19-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-18, 15-12)

Seventh-seeded William & Mary upset second-seeded Hofstra 3-2 in dramatic fashion during Thursday’s third quarterfinal match, as the Tribe completed the reverse sweep to win its first CAA Tournament match since 2001. 

William & Mary improves to 12-13 this season and advances play No. 3 Delaware in the CAA semifinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. Hofstra concludes its season with a 17-12 mark following the setback. 

Taylor Burrell put down the match point in the decisive fifth set, and as the scoreboard turned to 15-12, the Tribe bench stormed the court with uncontained excitement as the Tribe erased a 2-0 deficit to emerge victoriously in the CAA quarterfinals. 

The Tribe built a 9-5 lead in the set, but Hofstra rallied off three straight points to cut the deficit to one. After a timeout, William & Mary pushed the lead to 11-8 following back-to-back points, and the Tribe maintained the edge to the distance.  

With its back against the wall, William & Mary took a must-win third set. 

The Tribe took the set 25-14, courtesy of a commanding 9-1 run midway through the set. With the Tribe holding a 13-11 advantage, William & Mary scored nine of the next 10 points capped by a Burrell kill, taking a 22-12 lead and coasted to the end of the frame. 

Hofstra took three of the first four points in the set, before William & Mary rallied off five in a row to take a 6-3 lead the Tribe would not relinquish.

The Tribe forced a fifth set with the same formula they used in the third. 

The teams went blow for blow to five, before William & Mary took charge with a 9-1 run and gained a 14-6 advantage. Nicole Smith initiated the run with and kill, and Burrell capped it with a service ace. William & Mary maintained at least a six-point advantage the rest of the way, winning the fourth set by a score of 25-18. 

The Pride used an 8-1 run in the middle of the opening frame to take control and win the first set 25-19. Tied at 15, Hofstra scored four in a row with Clara Bal at the service line and added three after a ball handling error capped by a Yagmur Cinel service ace to gain a 23-16 advantage. 

The Pride opened the match with four straight points before William & Mary flipped the script, taking an 11-7 lead, but Hofstra stayed the course to take the first set.  

In the second set, the teams tied seven times before Hofstra gained a 10-9 lead, which was the last lead change in the frame. Facing a 9-8 deficit, Hofstra rallied off a 7-1 spurt, sparked by an Izadora Stedile kill, and gained a 15-10 advantage. 

The Pride maintained the cushion throughout the set, holding at least a three-point advantage the rest of the way, ultimately winning the set 25-20. 

Burrell was one of three Tribe players with double-digit kills, as Maddie Meyers tallied a season-high 14 and Eleanor Stothoff led the match with 17. Additionally, Emma Minnick and Anna Porter tallied double-doubles in the effort, with Minnick recording 17 assists and 17 digs and Porter adding 13 assists and 10 digs. 

For the Pride, Zyare Abdul-Rahim paced the attack with 14 kills, while Beatriz Alves posted 45 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, and Chiara Cucco racked up a match-high 22 digs.   

Another 👀 at today’s #CAAChamps semifinals matchups 🏐

No. 1 @Towson_VB
No. 4 @GoNUwvolleyball

No. 3 @Delaware_VB
No. 7 @WMTribeVB

🔗https://t.co/rYR9rk4JwV
💻 @FloVolleyball pic.twitter.com/1xDHAQqiSC

— Colonial Athletic Association (@CAASports) November 18, 2022

No. 4 Northeastern 3, No. 5 Elon 1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 26-24)

Fourth-seeded Northeastern defeated fifth-seeded Elon 3-1 in the second quarterfinal of the CAA Volleyball Championship on Thursday afternoon at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.

The Huskies move to 14-12 this fall and advance to face top-seeded Towson in the semifinals of the CAA Volleyball Championship on Friday at 4 p.m. 

Elon finishes the year 13-14 with the defeat. 

Erica Staunton was the difference maker for the Huskies, as she had been in the regular season when the two teams met. Staunton tallied a match-high 20 kills on a .273 hitting percentage and was one dig shy of a double-double with nine. 

The fourth set was the most competitive set in the match and ultimately made the difference. 

The teams battled to 23 before the Huskies took three of the final four points to take the set 26-24 and win the match, 3-1. Overall, the fourth set had eight ties and three lead changes, while no team gained an advantage greater than three points in the frame. 

Northeastern controlled set one from start to finish, scoring the first five points in the match before extending its lead to 11-2 on a kill from Staunton. A 4-0 spurt gave the Huskies their largest lead of the set at 18-7, and after Elon trimmed the lead to six, Northeastern took three of four points to earn a 25-18 set victory.  

Elon responded in the second set with a 25-22 victory to even the match. After losing the first point, the Phoenix rallied off six straight, gaining a 6-1 lead. Northeastern cut the deficit to 10-9 before Elon gained its largest lead in the set at 18-12. The Huskies got within two points on four occasions throughout the remainder of the frame, but each time the Phoenix had an answer.

Set 3 played similarly to the first, as Northeastern recorded the first three points and never looked back. The Huskies extended their advantage to 10-3, following a 5-0 run, before Nailah Jenkins gave Northeastern its largest lead in the set at 23-13, sending down an overpass from the Phoenix. The Huskies shut the door after three straight points from Elon, winning the set by a score of 25-17. 

Jenkins added 12 kills, hitting .400 for the match, with five blocks, while Kayla Martin was critical on the backline, matching a season-high with 27 digs. 

The Phoenix duo of Sydney Love and Leah Daniel reached double figures to pace Elon with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. 

Northeastern had 11 blocks and limited Elon to a .078 team hitting percentage, while the Huskies hit .233 for the match. 

No. 1 Towson 3, No. 8 Stony Brook 1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19)

Top-seeded Towson advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship presented by Primis with a four-set victory over eighth-seeded Stony Brook Thursday afternoon at SECU arena on the campus of Towson University.

Towson improves to 27-1 this season and will face of No. 4 Northeastern in Friday's first semifinal at 4 p.m. Stony Brook concludes its first season in the CAA 10-16 after the setback. 

Victoria Barrett recorded her fifth double-double this season, and Towson’s middles were stout as the Tigers tallied 12 blocks to defeat Stony Brook in a highly competitive opening match. 

After falling in set two, the Tigers rallied 25-23 to win a crucial third set. It was back-and-forth the entire set with eight ties and one lead change, but it was Towson that tallied back-to-back points with the score tied and 23 to emerge with the set victory. 

.@Towson_VB advances to the CAA Volleyball Championship for the 4th consecutive year!

The Tigers calculated 17 blocks against the Huskies and defeated Northeastern, 3-0.

Highlights presented by https://t.co/R6RW4nSiAq ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/A7iDpxGMxr

— Colonial Athletic Association (@CAASports) November 18, 2022

The Seawolves used the momentum from the second, gaining a 4-1 advantage; however, Towson responded with a 4-1 run of its own to tie the frame. Facing a 14-12 deficit, the Tigers took control with a 6-1 spurt that put Towson in front 18-15.

Stony Brook did not go away quietly, tying the set at 20, 21 and 23, before the Tigers battled for back-to-back points, with Lydia Wiers and Fay Bakodimou putting the exclamation point on the set with a block.     

Towson won the match with a 25-19 victory in Set 4. The critical point in the set came after a coach’s challenge following a long rally that would have tied the set at 18 for Stony Brook. Upon review, the Seawolves had four touches on the play, and it prompted a 7-2 Towson run that clinched the match for the Tigers. 

The teams traded 4-0 runs early in the set as Towson gained a 10-6 advantage. Stony Brook battled back to tie the set at 14, but Towson had the answer rallying off four straight points before its late run.

Towson jumped out to a lead following an impressive opening set. The Tigers rallied off a 5-0 run to assert itself in the match and take an 8-2 advantage. Later in the frame, the Tigers went on a 9-2 run to create separation, with Towson leading 11-7. It was a solo block from Aayinde Smith to give Towson a 20-11 lead. The Tigers tallied five blocks in the opening frame and won the set 25-17.  

The Seawolves showed resilience in the second, as Stony Brook sprinted to an 8-2 lead and was in control the entire frame. 

Saige Bradley put down the kill on an overpass from the Tigers, cementing the start for the Seawolves. Stony Brook maintained a four-point cushion throughout the set, and the key run came with the Seawolves leading 15-9. 

Stony Brook went on a 6-2 spurt capped off by a Julia Patsos service ace, giving the Seawolves its largest lead in the set at 20-11. Stony Brook went on to take the set 25-17 and even the match at one set apiece. 

Barrett matched a season-high with 16 kills and added 14 digs to pace Towson, while Bakodimou (four) Smith (seven), Wiers (five) and Irbe Lazda (four) all had at least four blocks, led by Smith with a match-high seven. 

CAA Rookie of the Year Kali Moore was impressive in her first CAA Championship, leading Stony Brook with 16 kills while adding 10 digs, a season-high five service aces and four blocks to tally her 11th double-double this season.