TOLEDO, OH – Toledo hits the road this weekend for a pair of matches against Mid-American Conference West Division foes Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Rockets travel to Ypsilanti, MI on Friday, Oct. 9 to take on the Eagles at 5:00 p.m. before heading to Mount Pleasant, MI on Saturday, Oct. 10 to meet the Chippewas at 7:00 p.m.
    UT will be looking to post its first conference victory after letting leads slip away in its first three league matches. The Rockets won the first two sets vs. Ball State and the opening set at Buffalo and vs. Western Michigan before falling by 3-1 margins.
    Toledo currently ranks third in the league in digs (15.99 dps), fourth in opponent attack percentage (.211), sixth in assists (11.42 aps) and eighth in kills (12.13 kps). 
    The Rockets' defense is led by freshman libero Maurissa Leonard, who leads the league with 5.82 dps in conference action. The Oregon, OH native has been named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week each of the past two weeks for her standout performances in the UT backcourt. 
    A starter at libero for UT's last 12 contests, Leonard recorded a career-high 32 digs against WMU for the second time in the last three matches. She averaged an impressive 6.62 dps against the Huskies and Broncos.
    Sophomore MB Rachel Vidourek paces UT offensively with a .324 attack percentage and 2.58 kps. Vidourek's hitting mark ranks her fourth in the league. The sophomore also leads the team with 0.88 bps, including a team-high tying five blocks last Friday vs. WMU.
    Sophomore OH Saige Thomas ranks second on the team with 2.46 kps followed by junior RSH Mary O'Connor with 2.19 kps.
    Vidourek topped the Rockets last weekend with 2.62 kps and a .340 ATK% with freshman MB Gracey Tuifua tallying 2.50 kps. Toledo's middle blockers accounted for 49.3 percent of the team's kills vs. WMU and NIU.

SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
    Eastern Michigan posted its lone conference victory last Thursday at home vs. Central Michigan. The Eagles lead the MAC with 12.21 aps and rank second with 16.11 dps and third with 12.82 kps and a .201 attack percentage.
    Senior OH Stacey Perinar is second in the conference with 4.03 kps, while senior libero Corynne Smith is third with 5.10 dps.

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
    The Chippewas dropped a pair of contests last weekend - at Eastern Michigan and vs. Kent State - and will host Ball State on Friday before entertaining the Rockets. CMU ranks third in the MAC with a .219 ATK% and fourth with 2.18 bps.
    Senior MB Angelique White is seventh in the league with 1.02 bps and a .302 hitting mark. Sophomore OH Jordan Bueter ranks fifth with 0.35 saps and seventh with 3.21 kps.

LEONARD ANCHORS BACKCOURT
    Freshman Maurissa Leonard has emerged as the Rockets' defensive leader after taking over as UT's starting libero on Sept. 5.
    Leonard leads UT with 4.25 dps and has tallied 30 or more digs on four occasions. She has tallied a season-high 32 digs versus Ball State (Sept. 24) and Western Michigan (Oct. 2) as well as 30 against Evansville (Sept. 5) and Youngstown State (Sept. 11). Freshman Maurissa Leonard has started the last 12 matches at libero for the Rockets. She leads the league with 5.82 dps in conference play.

VIDOUREK VITAL TO ATTACK
    Sophomore Rachel Vidourek has paced UT in kills on six occasions this season, including 16 kills, .400 ATK% (16-4-30) and a match-high seven rejections against Robert Morris (Sept. 18). 
    The Oxford, OH native has paced UT in kills on eight occasions this season, including 16 kills, .400 ATK% (16-4-30) and a match-high seven rejections against Robert Morris (Sept. 18).
    Last weekend, Vidourek posted a .381 ATK% against NIU and a .308 mark vs. WMU. Vidourek has recorded 57 blocks this season (0.88 bps) and a .324 ATK%.

ROCKETS IN MAC RANKINGS (as of 10/7)
    Rachel Vidourek ranks fourth in the MAC with a .324 ATK%... Maurissa Leonard is fifth with 4.52 dps and is first in league matches with 5.82 dps... Alex Hines is sixth with 9.41 aps...Lauren Bakaitis is ninth with 0.32 saps.
 
ROCKETS VS. THIS WEEK'S FOES
• Eastern Michigan leads the all-time series 48-14 against the Rockets. UT has won on just three occasions in 30 visits to Ypsilanti...Toledo trails its all-time series vs. CMU, 44-19, and has lost its last nine matches in Mt. Pleasant.

A LOOK AHEAD
    The Rockets remain on the road next weekend to visit MAC East Division foes Kent State (Oct. 16) and Ohio (Oct. 17). Toledo returns home on Oct. 23 to host arch-rival Bowling Green followed by a matchup vs. Miami on Oct. 24.