TOLEDO, Ohio — The University of Toledo volleyball team fell to Akron on Saturday night in four sets at Savage Arena.
Prior to the match, the Rockets honored senior Zoe Birnbrich. The Dublin, Ohio native and recreational therapy major has played in 85 matches for Toledo, averaging 2.71 kills per set and hitting .302 during her career. She currently ranks second all-time in program history in career hitting percentage. Birnbrich earned All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honors in 2018.
On Saturday, the Rockets' lone senior tallied 10 kills and three blocks while hitting .400. Junior Chloee Kleespies led the team with 12 kills and five blocks. Junior Rhyen Neal recorded a match-high 23 digs and sophomore Megan Beasley added 28 assists. Redshirt freshman Liz Beasley set a new career high in kills with nine.
The Rockets will make their final road trip of the season next weekend when they visit Northern Illinois on Friday and Western Michigan on Saturday.
Set 1 (Toledo, 25-20)
Toledo started the night off well, taking the first set to go up 1-0 in the match. The Rockets grabbed an early 6-3 lead before Akron ripped off an 11-3 run to jump ahead, 14-9. Unfazed, Toledo scored four straight to pull within one, and eventually retook the lead at 19-18 with four straight points. A kill from Kleespies tied the score and Neal's service ace gave UT the one-point advantage. Liz Beasley tallied the final point of the first set to clinch a 25-20 decision for Toledo. Kleespies tallied three of her six blocks in the first frame.
Set 2 (Akron, 25-18)
The Zips did not trail at any point during the second set and hit .394, their best of the match. They took a quick 3-0 lead and did not look back. The Rockets climbed to within a point of Akron but would not get any closer in the second frame. One of the best serving teams in the MAC, the Zips registered four of their 10 service aces in set two.
Set 3 (Akron, 25-20)
Toledo led as late as 9-8, but Akron was able to score points in bunches in the middle portion of the set to pull away late and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Zips used a 5-1 run to grab the lead, then scored three in a row to make the score 16-12. Akron's Alexis Adleta, who ended the second set, ended the third set as well with a termination.
Set 4 (Akron, 25-21)
The Rockets led early, 10-6, with half of those points coming off the hands of Birnbrich and Kleespies. Akron used a 7-1 run to surge ahead, though, and take a 13-11 lead. Kleespies tied the set at 13-13 with back-to-back kills, and a 4-0 UT run gave the Rockets a 17-15 lead. But the Zips grabbed the reins and scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 23-19 lead late in the fourth frame. Toledo pulled within two, 23-21, but would get no closer. Two straight kills from Akron's Elya Karsner sealed the deal for the Zips and sent the Rockets off on the wrong end of a 3-1 decision. Liz Beasley contributed five of her nine kills in the fourth set.
Some action from Toledo's match against Akron.
