TOLEDO, Ohio – The Rockets (6-3) will be traveling to Minneapolis to compete in No. 3 Minnesota's Diet Coke Classic for their final tuneup before conference play. Toledo will face off against Green Bay (7-2) on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m. CT. The following day UT will see the Gophers (5-1) at 10:00 a.m. CT and North Dakota (6-5) at 4:30 p.m. CT.

Diet Coke Classic Schedule
All games played in the Sports Pavilion
Friday, Sept. 16
    Green Bay vs. Toledo, 4:30 p.m. CT
    North Dakota at Minnesota, 7:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, Sept. 17
    Toledo at Minnesota, 10:00 a.m. CT
    Green Bay vs. North Dakota, Noon CT
    North Dakota vs. Toledo, 4:30 p.m. CT
    Green Bay at Minnesota, 7:00 p.m. CT
  The Rockets opened home play on Friday, Sept. 9 with a 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 27-25, 25-22) victory over Saint Francis in the first match of the Asics Invitational. The Rockets returned to Savage Arena later in the day to claim a 3-1 (25-21, 25-13, 24-26, 25-22) win over Fort Wayne. Toledo dropped a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-16) decision to Marshall in its last match of the Asics Invitational.

Last weekend saw career highs for several players on the team, including sophomore OH Gracey Tuifua who posted 17 kills vs. SFU. Junior DS Lauren Bakaitis also recorded a career-high five services aces vs. the Red Flash and sophomore S Carly Townsend tied her career high with 61 assists vs. SFU.

Junior OH Saige Thomas currently paces the offense with 2.84 kps. Freshman MB Zoe Birnbrich leads the team at the net with 1.06 bps. As a team, the Rockets record 12.2 kps and 14.5 dps. Junior MB Rachel Vidourek leads the MAC with a .394 ATK% and Townsend tops the conference with 10.59 asp. Sophomore libero Maurissa Leonard sits at third in the MAC with 4.84 dps and Birnbrich places fourth with 1.06 bps. Vidourek and Leonard were chosen as the Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week (Sept. 12), respectively.

Last weekend, Vidourek posted a team-best .483 attack percentage and ranking second with 2.82 kills per set. She tallied a career-best .706 attack mark with 12 kills and no errors in 17 attacks as well as three blocks in UT's 3-1 win over the Mastodons. Vidourek was also perfect against the Thundering Herd with nine kills in 16 attacks.

Leonard was impressive throughout the weekend to help the Rockets win two of three matches at the Toledo/Asics Invitational. She topped UT with 6.09 digs per set and opened the tournament with a season-high 27 digs (with six or more in each set) in a win over Saint Francis.

Birnbrich was awarded the MAC West-Division Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 5 for leading the Rockets with 1.23 blocks per set and ranking second with a .305 attack percentage. Birnbrich's best showing came with a .467 hitting mark in a 3-2 win over the Quakers to open the tournament.
  The Phoenix (7-2) are coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. Green Bay played three-straight five-set matches to end the tournament after sweeping Western Illinois in their first match. Junior MB Lydia DeWeese paces the offense with 2.77 kps, and sophomore libero Austyn Everingham has recorded 4.34 dps to lead the defense.
  No. 3 Minnesota is heading home for the first time this season to host the Diet Coke Classic. The Golden Gophers are coming off of a four-set win over No. 11 North Carolina. Freshman OH Alexis Hart led the team on offense, recording 17 of the team's 57 kills. Minnesota held the Tar Heels to a .180 attack mark, while posting a .333 atk% themselves. Senior OH Sarah Wilhite leads the Gophers' attack with 3.95 kps. The Fighting Hawks (6-5) visit the invitational after a match against South Dakota State on Wednesday, Sept. 14. As a team, they have recorded 12.2 kps. Junior MH Faith Dooley tops the team with 2.63 kps, sophomore MH Jordan Vail leads the team in blocking with 1.13 bps. Redshirt freshman RS has added 3.85 dps.

• Toledo has won four of its five matches against Green Bay, the last match being a 3-1 loss in 2015.
• UT has lost all three appearances against Minnesota, the last in 2014 (3-0).
• The Rockets and North Dakota have never faced each other before.

The Rockets will return home to face Eastern Michigan next Friday in their first Mid-American Conference game of the season. The game will be played on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.