TOLEDO, OH – Toledo will remain on the road this weekend as it travels to Kalamazoo, MI on Friday, Oct. 7 to face Western Michigan (5-12, 0-4 MAC) at 7:00 p.m. UT will then head to DeKalb, IL the following day to take on Mid-American Conference West Division leader Northern Illinois (12-4, 4-0 MAC) at 7:00 p.m. CT.
    The Rockets look to continue their win streak after posting two four-set wins last weekend against Ball State and Akron. UT heads into this weekend's matches with an overall record of 10-6 and 3-1 in conference play.
    The team sits in second place overall in the MAC for total blocks with 2.29 bps and third for opponent hitting percentage keeping their opponents to a .186 ATK%. Last week, UT limited BSU to a.054 ATK% in the last frame and .172 ATK% overall.
    Sophomore S Carly Townsend leads the MAC in assists, recording 10.88 aps. Last weekend, Townsend had 48 assists in each match and contributed six blocks.
    Sophomore libero Maurissa Leonard paced Toledo in the back-court recording 15 digs against Akron and 19 against BSU. Leonard averages 4.83 dps placing her third in MAC standings.
    Also making an impact on the court is freshman MB Zoe Birnbrich who tops Toledo and ranks fifth the MAC in blocks with 1.07 bps. Thomas averages 3.12 kps, which ranks her fourth in MAC standings. Sophomore OH/MB Gracey Tuifua and junior MB Rachel Vidourek also propel the team recording 2.64 and 2.21 kps, respectively. Vidourek also has a .335 ATK% which positions her sixth in MAC standings.
      Junior Saige Thomas has been leading the Rockets' offense, pacing the team in kills and hitting percentage for five-straight matches. Last weekend, Thomas recorded 16 kills to go along with a .389 attack percentage vs. Akron. Thomas also tallied 16 kills against the Cardinals.
  Several Rockets produced career bests over UT's non-conference slate, including the following:

• Lauren Bakaitis tallied five services aces vs. Saint Francis (9/9).
• Saige Thomas recorded 12 digs at Wright State (8/27).
• Rachel Vidourek posted an .818 ATK% (9-0-11) vs. Dayton (8/26) and nine digs vs. SIUE (8/27).
• Carly Townsend notched 61 assists vs. SIUE (8/27) and Saint Francis (9/9) and posted a .750 ATK% at Fort Wayne (9/9).
• Maurissa Leonard recorded five service aces vs. Penn (9/2).
• Gracey Tuifua tallied 17 kills vs. Saint Francis (9/9) and 47 total attack attempts vs. North Dakota (9/17).

      Western Michigan will host Toledo at home after dropping a pair of matches last weekend. The Broncos fell short on Sept. 30 against Eastern Michigan and on Oct. 2 vs. Central Michigan. Junior MB Sydney LeMay paces WMU with 0.85 bps and ranks third in the league with 3.35 kps. Freshman libero Kathleen Reilly holds down the Broncos' backcourt recording 4.27 dps.
      Northern Illinois tops the West Division standings. The Huskies are undefeated in MAC play and are riding a seven-match winning streak. The team ranks first in the conference in blocks (2.66 bps), service aces (1.46 saps) and opponent hitting percentage (.180 ATK%). The Huskies also rank second with a .247 ATK%. Senior MB Jenna Radtke tops the MAC with a .401 ATK% and records 2.46 kps, putting her just behind senior OH Mary Grace Kelly with 3.0 kps. Sophomore MB Meg Wolowicz paces NIU's defense with 1.13 bps, which ranks her third in the league.
 

• Toledo trails its all-time series vs. the Broncos by a 50-9 margin, including a 3-0 setback in Kalamazoo last season. The Rockets posted their sole victory in Kalamazoo with a 3-2 triumph in their 2013 campaign.
• Northern Illinois holds a 39-10 advantage over Toledo following a 3-0 loss last season. The Huskies have a nine-game win streak vs. the Rockets in DeKalb, IL with UT's last win coming in 2005.

    The Rockets head back home next weekend after completing their four-match roadtrip. On Friday, Oct. 14, UT will host Ohio at 7:00 p.m. The following day, Toledo will face off against Kent State at 7:30 p.m. on Homecoming. Both games will be played in Savage Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.