Toledo, Ohio— The University of Toledo women's volleyball team will play at home for the first time this season when it hosts the Blue & Gold Invitational this weekend at Savage Arena.

The Rockets will play Morehead State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and will host Duquesne and Manhattan at Noon and 7:00 p.m., respectively, on Saturday. The three visiting teams will all face each other as well. All six matches will be streamed live on ESPN and the live stats link for the weekend can be found here.

As part of the Rockets' home-opening weekend, fans will have the chance to receive Toledo volleyball schedule t-shirts on Friday and posters on Saturday. Also, there will be a UT volleyball alumni recognition during Saturday's match against Manhattan. If you are a former Toledo volleyball player and you're interested in attending Saturday's alumni festivities, please contact assistant coach Evan Antal.

Tournament Schedule:
Friday, September 7: Duquesne vs. Manhattan, 5:00 p.m.
Friday, September 7: Toledo vs. Morehead State, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 8: Morehead State vs. Manhattan, 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, September 8: Toledo vs. Duquesne, Noon
Saturday, September 8: Duquesne vs. Morehead State, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 8: Toledo vs. Manhattan, 7:00 p.m.

Maurissa Leonard Breaks Career Digs Record
Senior Maurissa Leonard officially became the program's all-time career leader in digs last Friday in Toledo's match against George Washington. The Oregon, Ohio native needed 16 digs to break the record and pass former Rocket Lora Sarich (2003-06) and she tallied 32 to take over the top spot. Leonard already holds Toledo's single-match digs record, single-season record, single-season digs per set record, and career digs per set record. Her 1,793 career digs are fifth-most among active DI players.

Prior to Saturday's match against Manhattan, Leonard will be honored for her achievement and Sarich will be in attendance. Since February 2017, Sarich has been the head coach of the Jaspers.

Quick Hits

• Leonard is averaging 6.61 digs per set this season, the best rate in the entire country. Her 152 total digs are 11th in the nation and third in the MAC.
• The Rockets have averaged 39.5 attacks per set, 13th-most in the NCAA so far.
• Opponents are hitting just .158 against Toledo, the lowest of any MAC team.
• In last weekend's win over Western Illinois, UT hits .284, its highest mark of the season.
• Toledo is the only team in the MAC with two players in the top 10 for assists per set: Maddie Fogg (8.43, 6th) and Carly Townsend (7.58, 7th).

 
Scouting the Competition
Morehead State: The Eagles have played to a 5-2 record in the early stages of this season, and four of their victories have been in straight sets. Most recently, they took two out of three matches at their second home tournament of the season, defeating Saint Francis and Mercer before falling to Wright State. Maddie Fella is the country's leader in blocks per set (2.06); no other player is averaging more than 1.85.

Duquesne: The Dukes are 3-3 coming into the weekend, having defeated Lafayette, Saint Francis, and MAC foe Bowling Green. Picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, Duquesne will host one more tournament before conference matches start. Summer Slade is the offensive leader with her .321 attacking percentage and 3.40 kills per set. Maria Mosbacher (2.70) and Maddie Bazelak (2.33) are also averaging at least two terminations per set.

Manhattan: The Jaspers are still searching for their first victory of the season. They are 0-7 entering the weekend and have won just two sets this year. Manhattan has struggled offensively and is attacking at a .097 clip. Individually, Kenza Hall is hitting .224 and averaging 1.31 kills per set, while Casey Monroe has registered a team-best 1.73 terminations per set. Alyssa Rehrer is averaging a team-high 4.43 digs per set.