TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team (16-7, 7-4 MAC) returns home this weekend to host a pair of MAC East Division opponents this weekend. The Rockets welcome Miami (5-16, 3-8 MAC) to Savage Arena on Friday before renewing their rivalry with Bowling Green (15-6, 11-0 MAC) on Saturday evening.

Both matches are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. Friday's tilt with the RedHawks will be available on ESPN+, while Saturday's match against the Falcons can be seen on ESPN3.

MAC Tournament Picture
The 2021 Mid-American Conference Tournament will feature the top six teams in the league standings, regardless of division.

At the midway point of the MAC season, the Rockets find themselves inside that top six:

                1. Bowling Green (11-0 MAC)
                2. Ball State (10-1 MAC)
                3. Western Michigan (7-4 MAC)
                4. Toledo (7-4 MAC)
                5. Ohio (6-5 MAC)
                6. Kent State (5-6 MAC)

Of Toledo's seven remaining matches, two will be against teams inside the top six, and both will be played at home: Oct. 30 vs. Bowling Green and Nov. 17 vs. Ball State.

Last Time Out
Toledo split its weekend series at Northern Illinois, falling on Friday before bouncing back to win on Saturday.

Sina Uluave was terrific on Friday, recording her fourth straight double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs, while hitting .310. Taylor Alt added 18 kills and 14 digs to register her eighth double-double. Elaine Redman collected 43 assists and a career-best six blocks and Olivia Vance contributed seven kills and five blocks.

After falling to the Huskies the previous night, the Rockets came back on Saturday to sweep NIU in straight sets. Toledo hit .295 in the victory while holding Northern Illinois to a paltry .125 attack percentage. The Rockets tallied 11 blocks, giving them 24 for the weekend in DeKalb. Rhyenne Filisi (six blocks), Olivia Vance (five blocks) and Jada Bouyer (four blocks) led the way defensively for Toledo on Saturday. Taylor Alt had a team-best 13 kills, while Vance and Filisi both added eight terminations.

Quick Hits

• Taylor Alt leads the MAC in kills/set, averaging 4.05. She is the only player in the MAC averaging at least four kills per set, and she ranks fifth among all underclassmen in Division I in that category.
• Toledo has been an outstanding defensive team all season long, and especially in conference play. The Rockets are holding MAC opponents to a .145 attack percentage and are blocking at a rate of 2.82/set, both of which rank second in the conference (Bowling Green ranks first in both categories).
• Sina Uluave has tallied four double-doubles in her last five matches. She is averaging 3.55 digs/set and 3.10 kills/set over the last five contests.
• Rhyenne Filisi is averaging 1.30 blocks/set during conference play, second in the league behind EMU's Raeven Chase (1.43 blocks/set). Filisi has had at least five blocks in five MAC matches.
• Last year's Toledo team set the school record in blocks, averaging 2.37/set; this year's squad is averaging 2.49/set.

 
About Miami
Miami enters Friday's match with an uncharacteristic 5-16 overall record and a 3-8 ledger in league play. The RedHawks won twice at home against Central Michigan last weekend, and their other MAC win came at Eastern Michigan. Miami is led offensively by Sophie Riemersma (2.72 kills/set) and Gaby Harper (2.69 kills/set), and it has three players averaging at least three digs per set, with Taylor Noamanson (3.48/set) leading in that category.

About Bowling Green
Bowling Green is off to a 15-6 start and is a perfect 11-0 in MAC play this season. Eight of the Falcons' 11 conference wins have come in three sets. They lead the MAC in kills (14.06/set) and blocks (2.56/set) and have held opponents to a .162 attack percentage, tied with Toledo for lowest in the league. Petra Indrova has been one of the best players in the conference this season and ranks first in scoring (4.79 points/set) and second in kills (3.99/set). BGSU plays at Ball State on Friday night prior to Saturday's rivalry match at Savage Arena.