MUNCIE, IN - Toledo let chances to win both the first and second sets slip away against Ball State on Thursday evening en route to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18) setback to the Cardinals at Worthen Arena. The defeat dropped the Rockets' record to 16-11 overall and 7-8 in the Mid-American Conference, while BSU improved to 13-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play.

Sophomore OH Amber DeWeerdt paced the Rockets offensively and defensively with eight kills and 16 digs, respectively. Freshman MB Bethany Irwin also made solid contributions to UT's offense with five kills and a .400 hitting mark.

"We had some individuals step up and play well tonight but we didn't play to our potential as a team," Toledo Head Coach Greg Smith said. "To win on the road in the MAC we need to have the whole team play at a high level, and we didn't have that tonight."

The Cardinals featured a balanced attack that saw three players reach double figures in kills. Kelsey Brandl led the way with 14 kills and a .522 ATK% and was joined by Hannah Sullivan (13 kills) and Alisha Green (12 kills).

UT was limited to just a .125 attack percentage in the contest but still was in position to pull out a win.

The Rockets held a 17-12 in the first set but then saw the hosts make it a one-point contest, 17-16, thanks to a pair of Brandl kills and two attack errors. Toledo held off the Cardinals and took a 22-19 advantage following a BSU service error. Three straight Ball State points forced a Rocket timeout and DeWeerdt tied the score at 23-23 after a Sullivan kill put UT down one. Brandl ended the set though with a pair of kills.

Toledo trailed all of the second set until taking a 15-14 lead on a block from Irwin and sophomore S Kassie Kadera.  Ball State took the lead right back and held a 21-18 advantage when UT called timeout. The Rockets responded with a 4-1 spurt and tied the score at 22-22 on a DeWeerdt kill.  DeWeerdt then evened the contest at 23-23 but BSU secured the win with a pair of kills.

A five-point run midway through the third set gave the Cardinals their first lead at 15-13 and they wouldn't relinquish it. Irwin brought the Rockets within 15-14 but Ball State pulled away with six straight points for a 21-14 advantage.

Toledo will now head to Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 14 for its final regular-season match of the 2009 campaign. The 2009 MAC Tournament is scheduled to begin at campus sites on Tuesday, Nov. 17.