COLUMBUS, OH - Toledo wrapped up play at the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic on Saturday with a 3-1 (27-25, 16-25, 28-26, 25-12) setback to Xavier to fall to 0-3 on the season.
UT's sole victory came in game two. After losing the first set, Toledo's 25-16 win was truly a team effort with three Rockets posting game-high kills. Freshmen Cassie Kleespies and Amber DeWeerdt along with junior Stephanie Kersting each had three terminations with DeWeerdt notching the game-winning kill.
Kersting and DeWeerdt each collected a team-high 11 kills in the match, while freshman Kassie Kadera led the Rockets in assists with 39. On the defensive side, Kleespies posted a team-high 11 digs in the match. DeWeerdt was named to the All-Tournament team after her performance in the three-match competition.
"It was a very competitive match and we couldn't quite close out a couple of opportunities to win the first or third games," Toledo Head Coach Kent Miller said. "We're going to try to build on what we did well, and we're looking forward to having a good week of practice before our next tournament."
Xavier took game one 27-25 thanks to a 12-5 run to close out the game. Toledo stayed in it near the end of the game with the two teams tying at 23, 24 and 25 before a kill by Hillary Otte and a Rocket attacking error gave Xavier the final edge.
With the match tied and after suffering a nine-point loss, Xavier was able to edge out Toledo in game three, 28-26. It was a hard-fought battle as the Rockets maintained the lead despite seven ties in the game before the scoreboard knotted up for the eighth time at 23. Momentum then shifted and Xavier nabbed its first lead at 24-23, and the Musketeers ended the game with the win despite three additional ties before the end of the game.
Up 2-1, Xavier took the match with a win in game four, 25-12. Kelly Ruth was responsible for seven of Xavier's points with six kills and an ace.
The Rockets will continue their 13-match road stint next weekend at the EIU Panther Challenge at Charleston, IL beginning on Friday, Sept. 5 with a match against Chicago State at 5 p.m. Toledo will face Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 6.
