TOLEDO, Ohio — The University of Toledo volleyball team visits Ball State on Thursday before hosting Akron on Saturday afternoon at Savage Arena. Thursday's match in Muncie is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and Saturday's tilt with the Zips will begin at 5:00 p.m.
Saturday's match will serve as the Rockets' senior day, and prior to the match there will be a recognition for senior Zoe Birnbrich.
Both matches will be available on ESPN3. Links for live stats, live streams, and live audio are available below, and updates are also be available on Twitter at @Toledo_VB.
Toledo at Ball State, 7:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
Toledo vs. Akron, 5:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Last Time Out
Toledo faced a pair of MAC East opponents for the second straight weekend, falling to BowlÂing Green and Miami.
It was a close match between the I-75 rivals. The first three sets were decided by two points, and the last set of the night was decided by three. Emma Swope tallied a team-high 14 kills, while Chloee Kleespies (13) and Zoe Birnbrich (11) each cracked double digits as well. Megan Beasley added a match-high 42 assists, while Rhyen Neal led all comers with 25 digs.
The contest against the RedHawks was not as close with Toledo falling in three sets. Birnbrich and Ryann Jaqua led the Rockets with five kills apiece through the three sets. Olivia Vance recordÂed four terminations and Kleespies and Liz Beasley each had three. Neal had a team-high 12 digs and Jaqua added 11.
Quick Hits
- Zoe Birnbrich's career hitting percentage sits at .302 entering the weekend. That would put her second all-time in program history (Dakota Harkins, .313, 2010-13).
- Seven Rockets were nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America team: Caleigh Barhorst, Megan Beasley, Zoe Birnbrich, Chloee Kleespies, Rhyen Neal, Emma Swope, and Elise Wilcox.
- Rhyen Neal has played in 212 straight sets dating back to her freshman season. She has not missed a set since Oct. 21, 2017 in a match against Bowling Green. She has also played in every match since coming to Toledo.
- As a team, Toledo sits third in the MAC in service aces/set (1.41).
Scouting the Opponents
Ball State: The Cardinals defeated the Rockets earlier this season in three sets at Savage Arena (Sept. 26). With a record of 11-11 and 5-5 in the MAC, BSU will be looking to snap a three-match losing streak, having lost to Bowling Green and Miami last weekend and Kent State the weekend before. Setter Amber Seaman sits third in the conference with 9.71 assists/set.
Akron: The Zips are 15-6 and 8-2 in the MAC entering this weekend, with their lone conference losses coming to Ohio and Central Michigan. Projected before the season to finish last in the MAC East, Akron finds itself tied with Miami and CMU for the best conference record through five weeks. The Zips are hitting .219 as a team and are led by Ashley Richardson in that category (.356). Setter Emily Weigand is second in the league in both assists/set (10.14) and aces/set (0.48).
