TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball took down the Buffalo Bulls in five sets (25-23, 25-22, 25-27, 23-25, 15-7) on Friday night at Savage Arena.

After winning the first two sets, Toledo lost a long third set and a close fourth set to unexpectedly find itself in a decisive fifth frame. The Rockets were able to regroup though, winning the fifth set handily to come away with the victory.

Freshman Taylor Alt was terrific, collecting 24 kills and 13 digs for her second double-double of the year. She came through when it mattered most, with five kills and a block in the fifth set. Three other Rockets reached double-digits in kills on Friday: senior Emma Swope (12), sophomore Olivia Vance (11), and senior Chloee Kleespies (10). Toledo also had four players with at least 10 digs, with sophomore Ryann Jaqua leading the way (17 digs) followed by Alt, senior Rhyen Neal (13), and sophomore Abby Ray (12). Freshman Payton Morman tied a career high with 57 assists and sophomore Rhyenne Filisi led Toledo with five blocks.

The Rockets and Bulls will meet again on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Following the match, Toledo will honor five student-athletes as a part of its Senior Day ceremony: Caleigh Barhorst, Chloee Kleespies, Rhyen Neal, Emma Swope, and Elise Wilcox.

1^st Set (25-23, Toledo)

Toledo started the match scoring three of the first four points to take an early lead. With the score at 11-9 in favor of Toledo, Buffalo scored eight straight points to take a 17-11 advantage. Swope came off the bench and recorded her first kill of the night to halt the Bulls' scoring run and spark one for Toledo. The Rockets scored eight of the next nine points to take a 19-18 lead, though Buffalo used a 6-2 run to make it 23-21 and put itself in position to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Following a timeout, Toledo scored four straight points, a run capped by a service ace from Ray, to win 25-23.

2^nd Set (25-22, Toledo)

Buffalo started the second set off with a 7-3 lead, but Toledo fought to tie the score at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14 before finally getting over the hump to take the lead at 15-14, its first lead of the set. The Rockets would not trail for the rest of the set, though the Bulls did score four straight near the end to pull within two, 24-22. Swope came through once again for the Midnight Blue and Gold though, tallying the clinching point with a kill give her team a 2-0 lead in the match.

3^rd Set (27-25, Buffalo)

Toledo looked to be in a position to sweep Buffalo, taking a 21-15 lead in the third set. The Bulls scored six of the next seven points, however, to storm back and even the third set at 23-23. The Rockets reached match point twice, but surrendered the final three points of the third stanza to bring about a fourth set.

4^th Set (25-23, Buffalo)

The fourth set of the night was the closest, featuring 15 tie scores and nine lead changes. With the score tied at 19-19, Toledo scored the next three points to take a 22-19 lead thanks to two kills from Alt and one from Swope. Buffalo responded by scoring the next four points to move ahead 23-22, then Vance tied it up at 23-23 with her third termination of the set. However Buffalo's Lexi Nordmann tallied back-to-back kills to hand her team the fourth set and push the match to a fifth frame.

5^th Set (15-7, Toledo)

The final set of the night was also the most decisive, as Toledo led wire-to-wire. The Rockets scored the first six points and nine of the first 11 to take a commanding 9-2 lead over the Bulls. Toledo hit .438 in the fifth set, the highest for either team in a single set on Friday, and it helped them win 15-7 to clinch a victory.


Highlights from Toledo's five-set victory against Buffalo.