MUNCIE, IN – The Toledo volleyball team (1-17, 0-5 MAC) suffered a tough loss Thursday at Ball State (10-8, 4-1 MAC) falling by the score of 3-1 (25-12, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20) in a Mid-American Conference West Division matchup.

“We did some really nice things tonight and we're seeing a lot of improvement,” head coach Greg Smith said. “We just need to regroup now and get ready for Akron.”

The Rockets were stymied in the first set, scoring just 12 points and were limited to a -.034 hitting percentage.

Toledo bounced back in the second set, however, converting on .294 percent of their attacks. Junior S Alex Hines had 13 assists in the frame, while freshman RSH Saige Thomas led the way with five kills.

The Rockets jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the set, but the Cardinals scored the next five points to take the lead. The teams traded points throughout the set, until Toledo took a 16-15 lead and never looked back.

Ball State committed six attack errors in the set on a .161 attack percentage, as the Rockets received a kill from freshman OH Annie Beasley to conclude the set for a 25-20 victory.

Thomas led the way offensively for the Rockets with 10 kills , while Beasley registered a career-high nine kills. Hines assisted on 37 of the team's 41 kills, and added 11 digs and two serving aces as well.

Sophomore OH Alyssa Ehrhardt narrowly missed a double-double in two categories, tallying nine kills and nine digs.

Freshman libero Lauren Bakaitis once again recorded a team-high in digs with 14, and sophomore DS Maggie Johnston added nine.

Ball State finished the match with a .235 attack percentage, as junior MB/OPP Hayley Benson recorded a match-high 16 kills. Junior S Jenna Spadafora tallied 42 assists in the win.

The Rockets conclude weekend matchup with a cross-division matchup at Akron on Saturday. The contest is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.