TOLEDO, OH – The Toledo volleyball team split its two matches on Friday in day one of the Rocket Invitational in Savage Arena. UT beat IPFW in the afternoon, then fell to No. 17 Minnesota.
The Rockets defeated the Mastodons in the day's first match, 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 17-25, 25-23, 15-11), coming back from a 2-1 hole to record their first win of the season in a five-set thriller.
“Today we figured out a way in which to win,” head coach Greg Smith said. “The talent has always been there, it's just about execution when the sets get tight. Coming back from going down in the third set shows a lot of character from the team and it was a great learning experience and a great win for our program.”
Sophomore OH Alyssa Ehrhardt continued her hot streak, tallying a team-high 15 kills (.286 ATK) and posting a double-double with a career-high 17 digs. It was the sixth-consecutive match she led the Rockets in kills.
Freshman RSH Saige Thomas recorded a career-high in kills with 11 (.308 ATK), and senior MB Brooke Frazer added nine more kills for UT.
On the defensive end, Ehrhardt was one of three players with at least 13 digs, led by freshman libero Lauren Bakaitis. Junior setter Alex Hines tallied 13 digs in addition to setting up the Rockets with a collegiate-best 52 assists.
The Midnight Blue & Gold started the match off strong, winning the first set, and jumping out to a 21-17 lead in set No. 2. IPFW tied the score at 22 and rattled off four of the next six points to steal the second set from the Rockets. The Mastodons stymied UT in the third set, winning 25-17, and putting Toledo on the ropes.
The Rockets, however, fought back as Frazer helped extend the UT lead to 23-19 in the third set with three-consecutive kills. Freshman RS Rachel Vidourek (eight kills, .308 ATK) scored the final two points to send the match into a fifth and deciding set.
Consecutive kills by Ehrhardt in the final set put the Rockets up 8-5, and they never looked back, closing out the Mastodons 15-11.
Senior OH Emily Spencer was a force for IPFW, recording 30 kills with an impressive .424 attack percentage, 11 digs and four block assists. The Mastodons accrued 12.0 total team blocks and limited the Rockets to a .226 ATK.
In the second match of the day, the Rockets unveiled last season's 2013 Mid-American Conference championship banner, but were unable to stop Minnesota, falling 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-18).
The Golden Gophers posted an impressive .402 attack percentage, and held Toledo to a .168 ATK with 7.0 team blocks.
“Minnesota is a great team,” Smith said. “They stay really consistent and force you into doing things you're not used to doing. We hung with them and had some good runs, but they're such a good team that it puts a lot of pressure on us.”
Vidourek had a team-high 11 kills (.579 ATK) for the Rockets, while fellow Bakaitis recorded a collegiate-best 20 digs. Ehrhardt continued her strong play, tallying 11 digs.
Three Minnesota players accrued double-digit kills, led by sophomore OH Sarah Wilhite (14) and junior OH Daly Santana.
“We saw a lot of positives tonight, and we just have to take those into tomorrow's match against Duquesne,” Smith said.
Toledo will conclude the Rocket Invitational on Saturday when it faces off against the Dukes. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. directly following the match between IPFW and Minnesota.
