South Bend, Ind. — The University of Toledo volleyball team opened its season on Friday with a 3-2 loss to Northern Kentucky in the Golden Dome Invitational.

The Rockets trailed 2-0, but came out to win sets three and four and force a decisive fifth set. UT and NKU were tied seven times in the final frame, but the Norse were able to clinch the match with a 17-15 triumph.

Zoe Birnbrich and Chloee Kleespies led the charge offensively with 16 kills apiece, while Caleigh Barhorst contributed 13. All of Barhorst's 13 terminations came in the final three sets of the match. Freshman Maddie Fogg made her debut as the Rockets' setter and contributed a match-high 47 assists, 11 digs, and five kills. Four UT players tallied double-digit digs: Fogg, Maurissa Leonard (22), Rhyen Neal (13), and Kleespies (11).

Next up for the Rockets are two Saturday matches against tournament host Notre Dame and Weber State.

Set 1
Lynnea Clay tallied the first point for the Rockets of the 2018 season on a monster kill off an assist from Fogg. After playing to a 4-4 tie to begin the match, Toledo fell behind and was not able to recover. A 10-5 deficit quickly ballooned into a 20-10 hole. The set ended with the Norse on top, 25-16.

Set 2
The Rockets played NKU a little closer in set number two and actually held a lead for the opening stages. Then, with the score tied 13-13, UT rattled off five of the next six points to pull ahead, 18-14. After a block off the hands of Kleespies and Emma Swope to increase the Toledo lead to four, Northern Kentucky scored nine unanswered points to take control of the set. The Norse would go on to win, 25-21, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Set 3
Northern Kentucky looked to be on its way to a sweep after taking a 5-1 lead to start the third set. Five straight points for Toledo flipped the script and gave it a 6-5 advantage. UT held two separate four-point leads and appeared to be in the driver's seat, but the Norse came back to tie the score at 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, and 26-26. In the end, it took the offensive efforts of Birnbrich and Barhorst to seal the deal and give UT a 28-26 win. Barhorst, Birnbrich, and Kleespies combined for 14 kills in the third set.

Set 4
The Rockets stayed alive with a big 25-23 fourth set victory. UT jumped out to an 11-5 advantage and looked to be well on its way to forcing a fifth set. NKU continued to chip away, though, and pulled within a point, 22-21. Despite the Norse breathing down their necks, the Rockets were able to finish the job and bring about a decisive fifth frame. Haley Sendelbach came through in a big way for the Midnight Blue and Gold in set four, registering four kills, including the 25th point.

Set 5
Set five featured seven ties and a pair of lead changes, the most back-and-forth set of the afternoon. Toledo and Northern Kentucky were locked in a stalemate at 3-3, 5-5, and 9-9 before the Norse began to pull away. Trailing 14-11 and with their backs against the wall, the Rockets rallied for three straight points, with Fogg capping the run with a swift, set-tying kill. The comeback attempt would fall just short, though, and Northern Kentucky closed out the match with a 17-15 fifth set win.