MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team opened its weekend at Central Michigan with a four-set loss to the Chippewas.
The Rockets (18-10, 9-7 MAC) won the second set to knot things up at 1-1, but CMU (12-16, 6-10 MAC) won the next two frames to come away with the victory.
Sophomore Abby Erickson had a productive night, tallying a career-high seven blocks while adding six kills. Sophomore Taylor Alt led all players with 16 kills and added 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Three other Rockets reached double figures in digs: senior Rhyen Neal (17), junior Ryann Jaqua (13), and sophomore Sina Uluave (11). Freshman Elaine Redman had a match-high 34 assists and contributed four blocks as well.
Toledo and Central Michigan will meet again on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
1st Set (25-23, Central Michigan)
The Chippewas took an early lead on Friday night, using a 6-1 run to double up the Rockets at 10-5. UT would battle back and pull to within a point, scoring five straight to make it 16-15, but CMU would not relinquish the lead. A late comeback attempt by Toledo fell just short, as Central Michigan's Grace Butler registered a kill for the 25th point to give her team a 25-23 victory.
2nd Set (25-18, Toledo)
Toledo scored the first eight points of the second set and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire to tie the match at 1-1. After a block from Erickson and Redman gave the Rockets the first point, Uluave scored on back-to-back-to-back service aces to make it 4-0. Toledo would score four more points before the first Chippewa point of the second set, but by then it was too late. The UT lead grew to as many as 10, and settled at seven as it cruised to a 25-18 win. Seven of Alt's 16 kills came in the second set.
3rd Set (25-23, Central Michigan)
The closest set of the night, CMU led 17-14 before six straight points from the Rockets flipped the script and turned their three-point deficit into a three-point lead, 20-17. Toledo still held its three-point lead late, as sophomore Rachel Pierce's kill put the ledger at 22-19, but the Chippewas scored the next four points to go up, 23-22. A Central Michigan service error tied the score at 23-23, but CMU scored the next two points to win 25-23 and go up 2-1.
4th Set (25-14, Central Michigan)
Toledo got off to a good start, taking an early 3-1 lead. Central Michigan scored points in bunches though, and the Rockets were unable to keep up. CMU hit .250, its highest single-set attack percentage of the match, and won 25-14 to clinch the match.
