TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team took down Western Michigan in four sets on Saturday afternoon at Savage Arena.
The Rockets (15-5, 6-2 MAC) won the first two sets over the Broncos (14-6, 7-2 MAC), but WMU won the third set and held a 21-17 lead in the fourth frame. Toledo didn't back down, instead scoring the next eight points to storm back and win, 25-21, to cap its weekend with a victory.
"I am so pleased with the resilient nature of our team," head coach Jason Oliver said. "Every time we have had a poor outing we have found a way to make improvements and get a win the next time out. Western Michigan is a great team and for us to find a way to win after a tough loss the night before says volumes about our growth and belief. I know this group will continue to develop and learn every match."
Sophomore Taylor Alt once again led Toledo with 21 kills, and she added 14 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season. The Ottawa, Ohio native was outstanding against WMU, averaging 5.22 kills/set this weekend. Freshman Elaine Redman filled up the box score, tying her season-high with 48 assists while collecting four kills, three blocks, and three aces. Junior Sina Uluave had 15 kills and 15 digs, her fifth double-double on the year. Sophomore Abby Erickson had seven kills and three blocks, while junior Rhyenne Filisi registered nine terminations and four blocks.
Toledo faces two MAC West foes on the road next week. The Rockets will visit Ball State on Tuesday evening before playing a pair of matches at Northern Illinois next weekend.
1st Set (25-21, Toledo)
The first set was the closest of the afternoon, with both teams jockeying for the lead. With the score tied at 18-18, the Rockets collected the next four points to go up 22-18, a scoring run capped by an ace from Alt. Erickson and Uluave tallied back-to-back kills at the end to clinch the first set and put UT ahead 1-0.
2nd Set (25-17, Toledo)
Western Michigan led early, 9-6, but Toledo surged ahead with a 12-2 run to take a commanding 18-11 lead. The Rockets would end up winning 25-17 to go up 2-0 in the match for the second time this weekend. Alt and Uluave each had four kills in the second set, while Erickson and Filisi both had three apiece.
3rd Set (25-22, Western Michigan)
The Broncos did not trail in the third set, and the only time the Rockets had a share of the lead was at 4-4. WMU scored the next six points to make it 10-4 and led by as many as nine, pushing the ledger to 24-15. Toledo nearly came all the way back, scoring seven straight points to make it 24-22, but WMU's Madison Merz terminated the ball for the 25th point to keep her team alive.
4th Set (25-21, Toledo)
Western Michigan looked to be on its way to forcing a fifth set for the second straight match. The Broncos pulled ahead and built a four-point lead, 21-17, before the Rockets mounted their comeback. Uluave and Erickson both had kills to make it 21-19, then two straight WMU attack errors tied the score at 21-21. The Broncos called a timeout, which was immediately followed by another error, then an ace from sophomore Rachel Pierce, a block off the hands of Erickson and Redman, and a kill from Uluave to cap a wild end to the fourth set that handed the Rockets the win.
