BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Fueled by freshman Taylor Alt's 28 kills, the University of Toledo women's volleyball team won a thrilling five-set battle at Bowling Green on Tuesday night to end the Falcons' perfect season.
"One thing about this matchup is that we want to make it a battle every time," head coach Jason Oliver said. "Both teams played great. We saw some really, really good volleyball tonight. We've been preaching to our team that big-time players make big-time plays, and they have been grinding all season long. To come in here and beat the No. 1 team in the conference on the road the way we just did says a lot about our character and how much potential we have."
Toledo (6-12) played well early and won the first set to take a 1-0 lead over Bowling Green (18-1), but dropped sets two and three to fall behind in the match. After winning the fourth set, the Rockets found themselves tied with the Falcons at 9-9 in the fifth set before ending the night on a 6-2 run to claim the match and their first win at Bowling Green since 2010.
Alt was outstanding for the Rockets, contributing a match-high 28 kills and 15 digs, her fourth straight match with at least 20 kills and her fourth double-double in the last five contests. Alt's 28 terminations are tied for third most in a match in program history and one shy of her career high she set earlier this season. The Ottawa, Ohio native registered eight kills in the fourth set, helping push Toledo into a fifth set.
Freshman Payton Morman set a career high with 61 assists, and both sophomore Rhyenne Filisi and senior Chloee Kleespies collected career-high block totals, tallying eight and seven stuffs, respectively. Sophomore Ryann Jaqua added 31 digs, her fourth 30-plus dig performance of the year. Sophomore Olivia Vance was excellent on both ends, registering 17 kills and hitting .500 while adding four blocks.
Toledo visits Akron this weekend to conclude its 2021 season this weekend.
1st Set (25-19, Toledo)
Toledo hit well early in the first set and was able to maintain a small lead over Bowling Green, with a block from Swope and Vance putting UT ahead 10-8. The Rockets used a 5-1 run to take a 15-10 lead at the media timeout, though the Falcons scored the next three to close the gap a bit and pull within two, 15-13. The Rockets went on a tear after that, scoring the next five points to open up a 20-13 lead, a run that was capped with an emphatic kill from Alt. Filisi and Kleespies tallied back-to-back kills to end the first frame and give the Rockets a 1-0 lead in the match. Toledo hit .300 in the first set and Alt had a match-high six kills.
2nd Set (25-20, Bowling Green)
The Rockets opened up a 6-3 lead over the Falcons to start the second set, but six straight BGSU points gave the Falcons a 9-6 advantage. Bowling Green used a 5-1 spurt to take a 17-11 lead, putting Toledo in a hole it would not be able to overcome. The Rockets did score three straight points to cut the deficit to three, 23-20, but would not get any closer as BGSU tied up the match at 1-1. Bowling Green hit .363 in the second set.
3rd Set (25-22, Bowling Green)
Bowling Green took an early 6-3 lead, but Toledo was able to leapfrog the Falcons thanks to spectacular play from Alt, who accounted for seven Rocket points on their way to taking a 13-11 advantage. BGSU scored the next six points to go up four, 17-13. While trailing 21-17, Vance recorded three straight kills to put the Rockets within one, 21-20, but that's the closest they would get as the Falcons went on to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
4th Set (25-18, Toledo)
The Rockets were able to grab an early lead and hold it for much of the fourth set, using a 5-1 run to go up 14-8 over the Falcons. BGSU was able to claw its way back to within three, 16-13, but Toledo scored four of the next five to take a 20-14 lead. Kleespies and Vance combined for a huge block to bring about set point. Vance delivered the final blow that handed UT the fourth set and forced a decisive fifth frame.
5th Set (15-11 Toledo)
Jaqua's ace put Toledo up 3-1, but the Falcons got hot at the right time, scoring five of six points to take a 7-5 advantage. Filisi and Kleespies teamed up for a block to knot the score at 8-8, and they both tallied back-to-back kills to give Toledo a 10-9 advantage. Filisi came through with another huge kill and Alt added a termination to put the Midnight Blue and Gold ahead 12-9. A BGSU kill made it 12-10, but Toledo used a block and another Alt termination to put the Falcons' backs against the wall at 14-10. Fittingly, Alt provided the final point of the night with her 28th kill to cap a thrilling Rocket victory.
