TOLEDO, OH – Toledo will visit Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan this weekend for its final road matches of the season. On Thursday, Oct. 21, the Rockets will head to Mount Pleasant, MI to face CMU (9-13, 3-7 MAC) at 7:00 p.m. UT will then travel to Ypsilanti, MI to take on the Eagles (5-15, 3-7 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8:00 p.m.                 The Rockets opened their last four-match road trip with a 3-0(16-25, 18-25, 17-25) loss last week to Miami and a 3-1 (9-25, 25-22, 13-25, 15-25) defeat to arch-rival Bowling Green. Standouts during last weekend's matches included junior MB Rachel Vidourek who tallied nine terminations and two blocks against Miami and five blocks vs. BGSU. Junior OH Saige Thomas had 12 kills and two blocks vs. the Falcons. Freshman MB Zoe Birnbrich remained consistent between the two matches, registering four kills and three blocks vs. Miami and five kills and two blocks against Bowling Green.
                Toledo's defense against the RedHawks was spearheaded by sophomore libero Maurissa Leonard who tallied 15 digs and sophomore DS Andrea Stephenson who recorded 10. Leonard also notched 18 digs against the Falcons.

• Saige Thomas: 2.94 kps
• Gracey Tuifua: 2.37 kps
• Carly Townsend: 10.25 aps
• Maurissa Leonard: 4.76 dps
• Zoe Birnbrich: 0.97 bps

                The Chippewas are hosting the Rockets after splitting two matches at Buffalo (W, 3-2) and Akron (L, 2-3). Sophomore outside hitter Laura Wilson added 13 kills in the win for the Chippewas. Junior OH Jessica Meichtry had 10 kills to go with a .364 hitting percentage. Freshman libero Megan Kern paced CMU defensively with 21 digs. Junior OH Jordan Bueter leads CMU with 3.33 kps and junior MB sets the pace at the net with .94 bps.
                Toledo swept its last match against Central Michigan on Sept. 24. Thomas paced Toledo with 17 kills and registered a .394 ATK%. Vidourek led UT's defensive efforts, posting a team-high five blocks. Townsend added four rejections to go along with her 34 assists.                 EMU also split its matches against Buffalo and Akron. The Eagles swept Akron and lost to Buffalo in five sets. Senior OH Devon Murray led the Eagles hitting at a scorching .609 attack percentage with 14 kills on 23 attempts without an error. Freshman S Riley Taylor racked up 31 assists, while also hitting at a .571 attack percentage with four kills. Taylor and Jordan Smith posted eight digs apiece to lead the defense. As a team, the Eagles hit .259 while holding the Zips to a .159 attack percentage.
                Toledo fell short in five sets during its last match against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 23. Thomas paced the Toledo offense with 14 kills. Tuifua contributed 10 terminations and Birnbrich added eight. Senior DS Maggie Johnston and Leonard each tallied a team-high 18 digs. Leonard also notched a team-high three service aces.

• Toledo trails its all-time series vs. the Eagles by a 68-13 margin, including a 3-2 setback at home on Sept. 23, 2016.
• Central Michigan holds a 45-21 advantage over Toledo, their last meeting resulted in a sweep by the Rockets in Savage Arena on Sept. 24, 2016.

                The Rockets will host Ball State and Buffalo next weekend to start their final four-match homestand of the season. The Cardinals will visit UT on Thursday, Nov. 3 for a 7:00 p.m. contest, and the Bulls will travel to the Glass City on Saturday, Nov. 5 for a 7:00 p.m. match. Both matches will be played in Savage Arena and broadcast live on ESPN3.