TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team returns to the court this weekend with a pair of matches at Eastern Michigan.

The Rockets and Eagles will face off on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Both contests will be available on ESPN+.

Schedule Updates
Toledo has played just two matches in the last month due to two series being postponed. Most recently, the Rockets' trip to Ohio scheduled for Feb. 25-26 was postponed due to roster issues with OU stemming from positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing.

Toledo has added two weekday contests to its schedule in recent weeks. The Rockets will head to Miami on Tuesday, March 9 for a 7:00 p.m. match in Oxford, and they will also travel to Ohio on Wednesday, March 17 for a 5:00 p.m. battle with the Bobcats.

One final scheduling note: Toledo's home match against Bowling Green on Tuesday, March 16 has been bumped up to a 5:00 p.m. start. It was originally scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Rockets hosted Kent State on Feb 20-21 and dropped both matches to the Golden Flashes.

In the first match against KSU, Toledo was led offensively by seniors Chloee Kleespies and Emma Swope, who tallied seven kills apiece. Redshirt freshman Jada Bouyer made her collegiate debut, contributing six kills and one block. The next day, Swope recorded a team-high nine kills and a career-best 14 digs, while Kleespies added six terminations.

Quick Hits

• The Rockets will have a very busy March, as they are scheduled to play 12 matches in a 23-day span this month.
• Toledo has two freshmen that rank inside the top five in kills and assists in the MAC. Taylor Alt (3.77 kills/set) and Payton Morman (10.35 assists/set) both sit fifth in their respective statistical categories.
• Toledo ranks atop the MAC in two categories: blocks (2.45/set) and service aces (1.53/set, tied with Kent State).
• It's been an "all or nothing" kind of year for the Rockets, as four of their matches have ended in three sets and four have gone five sets.

 
Scouting the Opponent
Eastern Michigan is 4-5 entering the weekend, coming off a series split against Buffalo. EMU is hitting .204 as a team, and is allowing opponents to hit .203. The Eagles enjoyed excellent performances from middle blocker Raeven Chase and outside hitter Franki Strefling last week, as both players were named MAC Players of the Week. Chase won the Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording 16 blocks across two matches against Buffalo, and she leads the conference in blocks/set (1.23). Strefling was named Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 50 kills (5.00/set) and hitting .331 against UB.