RADFORD, Va.— The University of Toledo volleyball team won both of its matches on Friday, defeating Rider and Radford.

The Rockets took down Rider in an early afternoon match before mounting a wild comeback to beat Radford later on in the evening.

Toledo started off the day by defeating the Broncos in four sets. Junior Chloee Kleespies led the team with 13 kills while freshman Olivia Vance added 10. Sophomore Megan Beasley contributed 35 assists and 12 digs, freshman Ryann Jaqua had a team-high 16 digs, and junior Rhyen Neal notched 11 digs.

The Rockets trailed the Highlanders, 2-0, in the second match of the day, but came all the way back to win in five sets. Kleespies and senior Zoe Birnbrich both had a match-high 12 kills in the victory. Megan Beasley tallied a career-high 42 assists and Neal led the way with 15 digs. Birnbrich and Kleespies combined for 10 kills in the final two sets to help the Rockets complete the comeback.

Toledo (3-2) will close out its weekend with a match against Norfolk State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Toledo 3, Rider 1

Set 1 (Toledo, 25-20)
The first set was a close one that saw 13 tie scores and seven lead changes. The Broncos hung around for much of the first frame, tying the score at 17-17 at one point. The Rockets pulled away, though, to win 25-20 and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vance was a big reason for Toledo's success in the first set, tallying four kills.

Set 2 (Rider, 25-17)
Rider tied the match at 1-1 with a victory in the second set. The set was tied at 13-13, but the Rockets couldn't keep up with Rider's efficient offensive attack. The Broncos pulled away thanks to a .516 hitting percentage. Morgan Romano contributed a whopping nine kills to help Rider win, 25-17, in its most successful offensive set of the match.

Set 3 (Toledo, 25-17)
Toledo came out red hot in the third set, quickly taking an 11-1 lead over the Broncos. Kleespies was outstanding during that stretch, accounting for 5.5 of Toledo's first 11 points (five kills, one block assist). The Rockets ended up winning, 25-17, to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Kleespies ended up with six kills in the third set, while Jaqua added eight digs to the winning effort. Toledo led wire-to-wire in the third set.

Set 4 (Toledo, 25-21)
The Rockets looked to have the fourth set under control, at one point leading 17-10. But Rider would not go down without a fight, scoring 11 of the next 15 points to tie the score at 21-21. Toledo wrestled back control of the set, though, with four straight points to win 25-21 and take the match. Megan Beasley's service ace capped an exciting fourth set and clinched a victory for the Midnight Blue and Gold.
 
Toledo 3, Radford 2

Set 1 (Radford, 25-20)
Radford led from start to finish in the first set to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Toledo was within one point on 11 occasions, but was unable to grab a share of the lead. The final score ended up being 25-20 and gave the Highlanders the upper hand after one frame.

Set 2 (Radford, 25-23)
The second set was the most back-and-forth of the night, featuring eight lead changes in all. The Rockets led for much of the set and looked to be in position to tie the match at 1-1. With a 23-20 lead, Toledo surrendered five unanswered points to fall, 25-23. Radford's service game was excellent in the second set, tallying six service aces.

Set 3 (Toledo, 26-24)
The Rockets stayed alive with a 26-24 win in the third set. Toledo jumped out to an 8-4 lead to kick things off, but the Highlanders flipped the script and fought their way to a five-point lead, 19-14. With their backs against the wall, the Rockets chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the set at 24-24. A kill off the hand at sophomore Elise Wilcox put UT out in front, then a Radford attack error ended the set and kept Toledo alive. Vance and junior Emma Swope both had four kills in the third set.

Set 4 (Toledo 25-21)
The Rockets forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-21 victory in the fourth frame. The two teams were neck-and-neck right up until the end; the fourth set featured 13 tie scores. Radford led as late as 20-19, but kills from Wilcox and Kleespies turned a one-point deficit into a one-point lead for Toledo. The fourth set ended with a service ace from Kleespies, putting an exclamation point on a wild fourth set.

Set 5 (Toledo 15-10)
The only time Toledo trailed in the fifth set was when Radford took a 4-3 lead early on. Birnbrich tied the score at 4-4, then she teamed up with Kleespies for a block to put the Rockets ahead. The Rockets led by as many as five in the final game, and a Radford service error would be the final point in an exciting five-set victory.