TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team hosts Ball State on Wednesday evening in its regular season finale. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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The Rockets (19-10, 10-7 MAC) have already punched their ticket to the MAC Tournament, which will be hosted by the 2021 Regular Season Champion Cardinals (26-3, 16-1 MAC). Ball State is riding a 16-match winning streak into Wednesday's contest.
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2021 MAC Tournament
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The tournament field is set, with the final spot being clinched this past weekend.
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Division winners Ball State and Bowling Green will be the No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively. Ohio, Western Michigan, Toledo and Northern Illinois round out the rest of the tournament field, though seeding is still up in the air for the final four teams.
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Entering Wednesday's match, the Rockets would be the No. 5 seed in the MAC Tournament and face No. 4 Western Michigan.
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The 2021 MAC Women's Volleyball Tournament will begin on Sunday, Nov. 21 in Muncie, Ind.
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Last Time Out – Ball State
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Ball State won the previous meeting earlier this season, toppling Toledo in four sets on Oct. 19.
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The Rockets won the first set, but the Cardinals were able to pull ahead and win the next three to win the match and increase their lead in the MAC West.
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Sophomore
Taylor Alt tallied 20 kills and nine digs, her third straight match with at least 20 terminations. Junior
Sina Uluave notched her third straight double-double and sixth of the season. Freshman
Elaine Redman contributed 46 assists and four blocks, while junior
Rhyenne Filisi added six blocks and five kills.
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- Toledo's 19 victories are tied for the most since 2013, when UT went 19-12 on its way to finishing in a tie atop the MAC West Division.
- If the Rockets were to win Wednesday, that would put their record at 20-10, the second-most wins ever behind 1983's 27 victories (27-16).
- Toledo has been an outstanding defensive team all season long, and especially in conference play. The Rockets are blocking at a rate of 2.59/set in MAC play and holding conference opponents to a .156 attack percentage, which rank first and second, respectively.
- Three Rockets are on pace to put themselves in rarified air in program history:
- Taylor Alt is averaging 4.02 kills/set which would rank fifth all-time in Toledo history. She could become the fifth Rocket ever to average at least four kills per set in a season.
- Alt's 418 kills are sixth-most ever in a season by a Rocket, and her 1,082 attacks are just 10 away from cracking the Top 10.
- Rhyenne Filisi (1.05) and Olivia Vance (0.99) are both having excellent seasons at the net and are among the MAC leaders in blocks/set. FIlisi's 1.05 blocks/set would be tied for fourth-most ever in a season by a Rocket, and Vance's 0.99 blocks/set would crack the Top 10 as well.
- Toledo is also on pace to set a new school record for blocks. UT is averaging 2.43 blocks/set this season, which would top last year's record-setting mark of 2.37 blocks/set.
- Elaine Redman is averaging 10.13 assists/set in MAC play, fifth among league setters.
About Ball State
Ball State secured its ninth MAC regular season title last weekend and its first since 2010. The Cardinals are riding a 16-match winning streak and have lost just 10 total sets during that time. The Cardinals are hitting a league-best .273 as a team and are led by Lauren Gilliland and her MAC-best .373 attack percentage.
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