Toledo, Ohio— The University of Toledo women's volleyball team nearly staged a terrific comeback on Friday night against Kent State, but fell short in a 3-1 loss to the Golden Flashes.

Kent State won set one, then the Rockets took set two. UT then dropped the third set and fell behind early in the fourth set. Trailing 22-14 and on the brink of defeat, the Rockets went on an 11-1 run to take a 24-23 lead and bring themselves just one point away from a fifth set. Unfortunately, the Golden Flashes regrouped and tallied three straight points to win the set and the match.

Zoe Birnbrich tallied a match-high 15 kills and hit .344, while Chloee Kleespies added 13 terminations. Maurissa Leonard recorded 21 digs and Rhyen Neal added 12. Toledo registered a season-high 12.5 blocks, with three separate Rockets notching four blocks apiece: Kleespies, Carly Townsend, and Alexis Falzone.

Next up for Toledo is a Saturday night matchup with Ohio at Savage Arena. The match starts at 7:00 and will be the team's "Volley for the Cure" Night. Fans are encouraged to wear pink.

Set 1 (25-22, KSU)
The first set was all about getting points in bunches, for both teams. Kent State scored the first three, then Toledo followed with three straight scores. The Golden Flashes scored four in a row, then the Rockets did them one better and scored five points in a row to take an 8-7 lead. Kent State built a solid advantage, though, leading UT 17-12 at one point. The Rockets fought their way to within two, 24-22, but KSU's Lexi Mantas buried a shot to give her team the set and a 1-0 lead in the match. Kent State hit a match-high .317 compared to Toledo's .111 in the first frame.

Set 2 (25-23, UT)
Toledo took a 7-4 lead and didn't see much resistance from the Golden Flashes until the final moments of the second set. Leading 20-17, UT surrendered the next three points and found itself tied with KSU at 20-20. The teams would find themselves tied at 22-22 and 23-23 before kills from Emma Swope and Birnbrich sealed the deal for the Rockets. Falzone recorded all four of her blocks in the second set, including a key stop that gave Toledo a 23-22 lead.

Set 3 (25-19, KSU)
The third set looked to be going the way of the Rockets early on when the Midnight Blue and Gold took a 13-8 lead. Kent State scored seven of the next eight points, though, to go ahead 15-14. The Rockets fought hard to retake the lead, bringing the score to a tie three times before the set ended, but Kent State accounted for the final six points of the set to take an emphatic 2-1 lead in the match. Toledo hit just .089, its lowest percentage of the night.

Set 4 (26-24, KSU)
The fourth set provided plenty of thrills and reasons to cheer for the home crowd. Kent State meant business from the very start, taking a 14-5 lead and looking like it was cruising to a match victory. Toledo looked to be in trouble, trailing 22-14, but went on an 11-1 tear that put them ahead, 24-23. The streak was started with two straight kills from Birnbrich and, at one point, the Rockets tallied three straight blocks. Carly Townsend's solo stuff was followed by tandem efforts from Birnbrich and Kleespies then Birnbrich and Townsend, respectively. Consecutive terminations from Kleespies, the second of which gave the Rockets the lead, whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Kent State was able to quiet the home crowd, though, with two straight kills and a match-ending service ace, handing the Golden Flashes a 26-24 set win and 3-1 match victory.