TOLEDO, OH – Toledo volleyball lost its second match of the weekend, falling 3-1 to Northern Illinois (7-9, 3-1 MAC). UT drops to 3-14 and 0-4 in the conference.
 
Sophomore MB Rachel Vidourek and freshman MB Gracey Tuifua paced UT's attack with nine kills apiece. Sophomore OH Saige Thomas added eight terminations and freshman OH/S Carly Townsend notched seven. Townsend also posted a team-high 23 assists while senior S Alex Hines recorded 13.
 
Freshman libero Maurissa Leonard topped the Rocket's backcourt with 21 digs, while Hines and junior DS Maggie Johnston both tallied eight.
 
The Huskies never trailed in the first set and posted an impressive .375 ATK% as a team. NIU rolled past the Rockets with a 25-12 victory, and. held UT to a negative attacking percentage.
 
Northern Illinois entered the second set as strongly as it did the first. The Huskies led the entire set and won 25-16.
 
The Rockets came back from halftime with more intensity and aggression. The third set featured nine tie scores and three lead changes. UT competed with Northern Illinois and pulled away at the very end with a 25-22 victory.
 
Unfortunately, Toledo wasn't able to keep up with NIU in the final set. The Huskies led the entire set and ended the match 25-16.
 
The Rockets are on the road for the next four matches. Toledo plays Eastern Michigan on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m. in Ypsilanti, MI, before heading to Mount Pleasant, MI to meet Central Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.