Toledo, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team continues Mid-American Conference play this week, hosting Ball State and Akron at Savage Arena.

Thursday, Sept. 28 (7:00 p.m.): Toledo vs. Ball State | Live Stats | Live Stream
Saturday, Sept. 30 (5:00 p.m.) Toledo vs. Akron | Live Stats | Live Stream

Last Time Out
The Rockets dropped their first two conference matches of the season, falling at Central Michigan, 3-2, and Eastern Michigan, 3-0.

Against the Chippewas, UT fell behind 0-2 but rallied back to bring the match to a fifth set. Freshman Chloee Kleespies led the team with a career-high 18 kills against CMU, while seniors Rachel Vidourek (17) and Saige Thomas (14) also reached double-digits in terminations. Senior Brianna Foster had a career-high 56 assists in the match in Toledo's sixth five-setter of 2017.

In Ypsilanti against EMU, the Rockets were right there in all three sets; the Eagles won 25-22, 25-23, and 25-21. It truly was a close match between Toledo and EMU, in the three sets there were 28 ties and 14 lead changes. Individually, Thomas and senior Annie Beasley were the offensive team leaders with nine kills apiece and Foster added 35 assists.

By the Numbers
Here are some notable numbers for Toledo:

• Last season the Rockets were 3-0 against Ball State and Akron.
• Foster's 56 assists against CMU are the fourth-most in a match this season by anyone in the MAC. Since entering the starting lineup back on Sept. 1 in the match against VCU, Foster is averaging 10.4 assists/set.
• Junior Maurissa Leonard is fifth in the MAC in digs per set, averaging 4.93. Her 286 total digs rank 25^th in the country.
• Leonard is fourth all-time in Toledo history with 1,363 career digs and Vidourek is sixth all-time in total blocks (304).
• Head Coach Greg Smith is five victories away from reaching 100 victories at Toledo. Smith would be just the third coach in UT history to reach 100 wins.
   

Scouting the Competition
Ball State: Ball State holds a record of 10-5, the first MAC team to reach 10 wins this season. The Cardinals beat Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan to start conference play, and they have won four of their last five matches. BSU started the season 5-1 before traveling to Colorado Springs for the Colorado State Tournament where it faced two top 25 opponents: the host Rams and Michigan. The contest against the Rockets will be the last of a four-match road swing for the Cardinals

Ball State is second in the MAC in blocks/set (2.18), and senior Meg Starling leads the team with 1.06 blocks/set. Juniors Brooklyn Goodsell and Ellie Dunn are the team's offensive leaders, averaging 2.94 and 2.86 kills per set, respectively. Sophomore Amber Seaman, the Cardinals' leading setter with 10.67 assists/set, is second in the MAC in that category and racked up a season-high 55 at EMU last weekend.

Akron: Last weekend, Akron defeated Kent State, 3-1, and lost to Ohio, 3-1, putting its record at 5-9 after last weekend's matches. In their four tournaments to start the year the Zips went 1-2 in each outing. Akron notched victories against Maryland Eastern Shore, Providence, Tennessee Tech and Youngstown State, with the latter two also falling at the hands of the Rockets in 2017.

Junior Kayla Gwozdz is the team leader with 3.63 kills/set, which puts her fourth in the MAC. Freshman Emily Weigand is the Zips' leader in assists, averaging 9.65 per set, which is third among rookies in the conference. Weigand is also tops on the team in service aces per set (.40), where she ranks third in the MAC. Sophomore Elya Karsner, an All-MAC Freshman Team honoree in 2016, is one of three Zips averaging at least 2.00 kills/set.

Fans attending the games this week will be treated to a wide range of promotions and giveaways:
September 28
- Free PopSocket to the first 250 fans
- Kids Club members receive free admission
- Post-Match Autographs with the team

September 30
- Free Fidget Spinner to the first 250 fans
- Summer Volleyball campers receive free admission
- Free admission for Kids Club members
- Free Admission for children dressed as princesses or superheroes with paying adult. There will also be a special princess character (Princess Elena of Avalor) in attendance available for photos with fans
- Post-Match Autographs with the team
- Free Youth Clinic after the match

For Group Experiences with the UT Volleyball Team, contact Adam Simpson at 419-530-5433 or adam.simpson@utoledo.edu