Aug. 25, 2006

Final Stats

TOLEDO - Toledo (1-0) opened its 2006 campaign with a solid 3-1 (30-26, 16-30, 30-16, 30-21) triumph this afternoon over Binghamton (0-1) in its first match at the sixth-annual Rocket Classic. Senior OH Kate Bean led the Rockets' attack with 17 kills and also was able to register a double-double with 12 digs.

The trio of junior MB Brittany Alaburda (nine kills), sophomore OH Shannon Strachan (eight kills, .438 ATK%) and freshman OH Stephanie Kersting (seven kills, .400 ATK%) also played a big part in the Rockets' attack. Kersting and Strachan provided a spark by entering the match following the Rockets' second-game setback and helped carry UT to the win.

"Our team did a great job with the adjustments we had following our loss in the second game," UT Head Coach Kent Miller said. "We picked up the tempo of the match and played at a pace that we wanted to play at. It was good to see players come off the bench prepared and make an immediate impact when called upon."

Freshman S Mallory Ladd collected 49 assists in her collegiate debut and also added 10 digs in place of injured junior Emi Holsclaw. On the defensive end, senior libero Lora Sarich paved the way with 21 digs with Alaburda notching a team-high three blocks.

"I thought Mallory did a nice job for her first match," Miller said. "It's always hard for the team to get their timing down with a new setter, but she handled a lot of different situations real well."

The Rockets will face Wright State in their second match of the day at 7:30 p.m. Michigan opened the tournament with a 3-0 (30-21, 30-27, 30-23) victory over Western Kentucky and will face Binghamton at 5:00 p.m. WKU faces Wright State in the third match of the day at 3:00 p.m.