Normal, IL - Toledo put up a valiant effort at its first match of the Country Financial Redbird Classic on Friday but ended up on the short end of a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-20) setback against IUPUI (6-3). With the loss, the Rockets fall to 1-6 on the year.
 
Freshman OH Gracey Tuifua led UT with 10 kills, while classmate RSH Carly Townsend recorded a team-best .400 ATK % (9-1-20). Townsend also tallied nine terminations and junior RSH Mary O'Connor added eight. Senior S Alex Hines quarterbacked the squad and finished with a team-high 34 assists.
 
Freshman libero Maurissa Leonard led UT defensively with 20 digs, while Tuifua spearheaded the blocking efforts with four rejections.
 
The first set started out close until IUPUI pulled ahead 11-7. The Jaguars remained in front as the set wore on, tallying four-straight kills to bring the score to 20-15. Toledo answered back with an aggressive six-point run to recapture the lead, 21-20, but the Midnight Blue & Gold was unable to keep up the intensity and eventually dropped the opening set, 25-23.
 
The second set began as the first did with the teams trading points until kills from Townsend and Tuifua put Toledo in the lead, 13-11. The Jaguars rallied back, though with six-straight terminations to take the lead, 19-14, and never saw their lead dip below four points the rest of the set to win it 25-19.
 
Toledo regrouped and entered the third set with an aggressive attack. The set featured 14 ties and UT gained its second lead of the set, 14-12, due to a kill from Townsend and a block from O'Connor. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Jaguars countered with four straight points and never looked back to take a 25-20 victory and claim the 3-0 match triumph.
 
UT returns to the court against Youngstown State later this evening at 5:00 p.m. (ET). This will be the second match-up between the interstate teams this season. The Penguins beat Toledo, 3-0, at the Rocket Invitational back on Aug. 29 in Savage Arena.