TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team opened its 2020-21 season on Friday night, falling to Western Michigan in five sets at Savage Arena.
The Rockets won sets two and four comfortably and took WMU past the 25th point in sets one and three, but they couldn't keep pace with the Broncos in the fifth frame (15-9).
Toledo was led offensively by freshman Taylor Alt, who recorded a match-high 21 kills in her collegiate debut, including 16 in the first two sets. Freshman setter Payton Morman had a match-high 48 assists and five blocks, while senior Rhyen Neal registered 26 digs. Sophomore Olivia Vance added 10 kills and a career-high eight blocks. The Rockets recorded 20 team blocks on Friday night, tied for third-most in a single match in program history.
The Rockets and Broncos will face off again on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Savage Arena.
First Set (WMU 28-26)
The first set was the most back-and-forth of the night, with the two teams fighting to 13 tie scores and changing leads seven times. Toledo led by three, 18-15, but a late run from Western Michigan handed the Broncos the lead at 21-20. The Rockets surged ahead with four straight points, capped by a block from Alt, to reach set point at 24-21. They weren't able to slam the door on the Broncos though, and the first set ended with a 7-2 WMU run with the clinching kill coming off the hand of Janell Williams. Alt had eight kills in the first set and hit .462.
Second Set (Toledo 25-19)
The Rockets jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, with five of those points coming from the freshman Alt. Western Michigan scored the next six points though to take a 10-9 lead, a run that included back-to-back service aces. UT regained its composure and used an 8-2 run to move ahead of the Broncos, 20-14, and not look back. Redshirt freshman Rachel Pierce provided the decisive blow with a service ace to tie the match at 1-1. Her ace was the first of the match for the Rockets to that point.
Third Set (WMU 26-24)
Western Michigan won the third set in close fashion, once again, to take a 2-1 lead in the contest. It was all WMU to start, with Toledo falling into a 10-2 hole early. It appeared that the Broncos would cruise to a third set victory, but the Midnight Blue and Gold made things interesting near the end. Trailing 23-16, Toledo exploded for eight straight points to flip the script and take a 24-23 lead. Pierce provided clutch serving once again, recorded two aces during the 8-0 run, while Vance added two blocks and a kill. In the end, though, WMU was able to right the ship and scored the final three points of the set to win, 26-24.
Fourth Set (Toledo 25-16)
Toledo led the fourth frame wire-to-wire to force a final set, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and not looking back. Redshirt freshman Abby Erickson was a force in the fourth set, tallying three kills and three blocks to help keep her team alive. The closest WMU got was within one, at 6-5, and the Rockets scored the final four points of the set to emphatically tie the match at 2-2.
Fifth Set (WMU 15-9)
Toledo led 8-7 in the fifth set, but couldn't keep up with the Broncos in the final moments of the match. Western Michigan ended the night on an 8-1 tear to win 15-9 and hand the Rockets the season-opening loss. WMU hit .438 in the final set and were led by their Preseason All-MAC outside hitter Rachel Bontrager, who registered four kills. Vance did her best to keep the Rockets alive at the end, tallying three kills and two blocks in the fifth set.
Some action from Toledo's season opener against Western Michigan.
