AKRON, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team dropped a five-set contest at Akron on Friday night (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 12-15).
The Rockets won the first two sets to take a commanding lead in the match, but the Zips hit exceptionally well in the third set to stay alive, then won the fourth frame to extend the match yet again. In the decisive fifth set, the two teams traded points early but Akron scored six of the final nine to win 15-12 and complete the comeback.
Sophomore Olivia Vance tied her career high with a team-best 19 kills and hit .457. Freshman Taylor Alt added 15 kills and 12 digs, her fourth straight double-double. Sophomore Rhyenne Filisi added eight kills and a team-high three blocks. Sophomore Ryann Jaqua led the team with 25 digs and freshman Payton Morman collected 44 assists.
The Rockets and Zips will face off on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., the final match of the season for Toledo.
1st Set (25-20, Toledo)
Toledo started off the match by scoring seven of the first 10 points to take an early lead. The Rockets led by as many as six, 15-9, and did not trail after allowing the first point of the set. Toledo hit .353 in the first set, its highest of the match, en route to a 25-20 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vance was outstanding, tallying six kills in the first frame.
2nd Set (25-17, Toledo)
The Rockets and Zips traded blows for much of the second set, with neither team leading by more than two early on. With Akron holding a 15-14 lead, Toledo scored the next six points to jump out to a five-point advantage and take a commanding 20-15 lead. The Rockets followed that up with a 5-2 run to close out the second stanza and win 25-17 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Filisi and redshirt freshman Rachel Pierce combined for a block to bring about set point, then senior Chloee Kleespies closed out the set with a kill.
3rd Set (25-23, Akron)
Toledo scored the first two points of the set and led early on, but Akron fought back to tie the score at 9-9. The Zips then used a 6-1 run to take a 15-10 lead, then extended their advantage to 22-15. Toledo scored seven of the next eight points to pull within one, 23-22, but Akron was able to close out the third set to stay alive in the match. The Zips hit .432 in the third set, the best single-set hitting percentage for any team on the night.
4th Set (25-19, Akron)
Akron led the fourth set wire-to-wire to force a decisive fifth frame. The Rockets found themselves in a 9-2 hole early and couldn't recover. They were able to get as close as three, 22-19, but Akron scored the final three points of the set to win.
5th Set (15-12, Akron)
The two teams traded points early, though the Zips were able to open up a 9-6 lead at one point. The Rockets scored three straight to tie the score at 9-9, a stretch that was capped with a block from Kleespies and Vance. Akron regained control by scoring the next two points and did not trail again, winning 15-12 to take the match.
