Rockets Head Up to CMU for Pair of Matches

Friday, November 12

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

6:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

Central Michigan

Taylor Alt ranks second in the MAC in both kills (3.99/set) and scoring (4.59 points/set).

Photo by: Evan Procaccini

11/11/2021 2:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Match Notes (PDF)

TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team visits Central Michigan this weekend for a pair of matches.

The Rockets (18-9, 9-6 MAC) and Chippewas (11-16, 5-10 MAC) will open their weekend with a 6:00 p.m. match on Friday and wrap things up with a 4:00 p.m. contest on Saturday. Both matches 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.

With their wins last weekend, the Rockets clinched their first MAC Tournament berth since 2016.

Ball State and Bowling Green have clinched West and East division titles, respectively. Ohio and Western Michigan have clinched tournament spots as well, leaving one spot remaining for the other seven teams. Northern Illinois can clinch that final spot with a win against Buffalo on Friday.

Last Time Out
Toledo went 2-0 last weekend at home against Eastern Michigan.

On Friday, the Rockets won in three sets and outhit the Eagles, .272 to .120, and leaned on excellent play from a pair of juniors to capture Friday's victory. Olivia Vance and Sina Uluave both led Toledo with 12 kills and both did so efficiently, hitting .556 and .308, respectively. Vance also added a match-high four blocks to help the cause. Rhyen Neal (11) and Taylor Alt (10) both reached double digits in digs, and Elaine Redman led all comers with 38 assists.

On Saturday, after the Eagles won the first set, Toledo captured the next three sets to win 3-1. Sina Uluave stuffed the box score on Saturday, tallying 14 digs, nine kills, and a career-high eight service aces. Taylor Alt led all players with 18 kills and Neal led all comers with 20 digs. Olivia Vance contributed 10 kills and a pair of blocks, and Elaine Redman collected 37 assists.

Quick Hits

Toledo's 18 victories are the most since 2013, when UT went 19-12 on its way to finishing in a tie atop the MAC West Division.
Toledo has been an outstanding defensive team all season long, and especially in conference play. The Rockets are holding MAC opponents to a .151 attack percentage and are blocking at a rate of 2.53/set, both of which rank second in the conference (Bowling Green ranks first in both categories).
Three Rockets are on pace to put themselves in rarified air in program history:
- Taylor Alt is averaging 3.99 kills/set which would rank fifth all-time in Toledo history. She is just shy from becoming the fifth Rocket ever to average at least four kills per set in a season.
- Alt's 383 kills and 987 attacks are close to cracking Toledo's single-season Top 10. She is seven kills away and 105 attacks away.
- Rhyenne Filisi (1.04) and Olivia Vance (1.03 are both averaging just over a block per set, and those figures would rank sixth and tied for seventh, respectively in school history.
Elaine Redman is averaging 10.19 assists/set in MAC play, fifth among league setters.

About Central Michigan
Central Michigan is 11-16 (5-10 MAC) entering this weekend's series and is coming off an 0-2 weekend against MAC West Champion Ball State. Despite their sub-.500 record, the Chippewas have played well at home and own a 6-3 record when playing on their own court. Aly Gurtiza is second in the MAC in digs (5.27/set) and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez is among the most efficient offensive threats in the league, ranking sixth in attack percentage (.332).