Toledo Hosts Arch-Rival Bowling Green on Wednesday
9/30/2003 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
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Sept. 30, 2003
Toledo, OH - Toledo (4-10, 0-2 MAC) enters a busy week of action with three matches beginning with Wednesday's home contest against arch-rival Bowling Green (8-6, 0-1 MAC). The Rockets will then travel to Mt. Pleasant, MI to face Central Michigan (6-9, 0-2 MAC) on Friday, Oct. 3 before heading to Kalamazoo, MI to take on Western Michigan (9-4, 2-0 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 4. All three matches will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Toledo dropped its first two conference matches of the season last weekend at Miami and Ball State.
"We're coming off a real solid match with Ball State in a tough environment to play in," said UT Head Coach Kent Miller. "Now we're focused on our match with our rival Bowling Green and it's always exciting to play BG in Savage Hall. We need to carry over our strong play from the Ball State match and stay focused on winning our first MAC match."
ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
Toledo trails its all-time series with Bowling Green by a 40-11 margin but has won three of its last four contests with the Falcons. The two teams split their two matches last year with both teams winning on the others' homecourt.
The Rockets trail their all-time series with CMU, 28-8, but have split their last six meetings with the Chippewas. Central swept Toledo in two meetings last year with UT turning the trick in 2001.
Western Michigan holds a 31-5 advantage over the Rockets including a pair of 3-1 wins last year. Toledo's 3-0 win in the 2001 campaign snapped a seven-game Bronco winning streak in the series.
A BALANCED SCORING ATTACK
One of the new statistics appearing in volleyball box scores this season is player point totals. Kills, service aces and solo blocks count for one point apiece, while block assists are half a point. The Rockets have a tight race for their team point lead with sophomore Kelsey Culver (178.5), sophomore Corrie Magnus (176.0) and junior Rachel Mohler (171.5) each topping the 170-point mark.
MAGNUS, MOHLER SITTING AT TOP OF MAC RANKINGS
Sophomore middle blocker Corrie Magnus and junior outside hitter Rachel Mohler are sitting atop the MAC rankings in individual categories. Magnus is first in attack percentage (.359), while Mohler is tops in aces per game (0.67).
Other Rockets who are listed among MAC leaders are sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Culver (T-4th in aces - 0.50 per game; 10th in ATK% - .298), senior setter Carrie McCaw (8th in assists - 10.98 per game; 12th in aces - 0.42 per game).
SERVING IT UP
Toledo ranks second in the MAC in serving averaging 2.40 aces per game and trails only Marshall which is averaging 2.46. The Rockets have led the conference in aces in each of the last two seasons with 2.22 and 2.33 averages, respectively.
In the MAC individual rankings, junior Rachel Mohler leads the way with 0.67 aces per game followed by sophomore Kelsey Culver (0.50/T-4th) and senior Carrie McCaw (0.42/12th).
STRENGTH UP THE MIDDLE
Sophomore middle blockers Corrie Magnus and Kelsey Culver are leading the Rockets offensively. The duo ranks first and second in attack percentage with .359 and .298 hitting marks, respectively. Magnus also leads the team in blocks with 0.78 per game and ranks first in the MAC in attack percentage, while Culver is second on the team with 0.71 blocks per game and 10th in the MAC in hitting. Culver equalled the third most blocks in school history with 12 vs. Ball State.
SPREADING THE LOVE
Five Rockets were named to all-tournament teams this fall. Sophomore Corrie Magnus was honored twice (WKU, Pitt), while Rachel Mohler (Missouri), Kelsey Culver (Toledo), Carrie McCaw (Toledo) and Mollie Murphy (WKU) were honored once.
LOOKING FOR A ROAD WIN
The Rockets are winless in five road contests this year. UT has lost 14 straight matches on the road with its last win coming at Bowling Green on Oct. 2, 2002.
NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT
This year's MAC Tournament will see all 13 teams participate for the first time in school history. The top three seeds will receive first-round byes and the remaining 10 teams will play first-round contests at campus sites on Nov. 18. The remainder of the tournament will be held in Muncie, IN on Nov. 21-23.
UP NEXT
The Rockets will be home for two matches next weekend hosting a pair of MAC East Division schools at Savage Hall. UT will face Kent State (5-6, 1-1 MAC) on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a matchup with Buffalo (5-9, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 3:00 p.m.
