YPSILANTI, Mich. – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team defeated Eastern Michigan on Saturday in three sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-22) at the Convocation Center.
A day after being swept by the Eagles, the Rockets returned the favor to split the weekend series.
"We showed a ton of character in the responding to the loss yesterday," head coach Jason Oliver said. "We committed to playing our style of volleyball and I am excited about the maturity we showed."
Three Rockets reached double-digits in kills on Saturday, with freshman Taylor Alt tallying a team-high 12 terminations. Sophomores Liz Beasley (11) and Olivia Vance (10) were close behind, while Vance also contributed a match-high five blocks. Sophomore Ryann Jaqua added 16 digs and freshman Payton Morman collected 35 assists and three blocks.
1st Set (25-21, Toledo)
Eastern Michigan took a 4-1 lead to start the afternoon, but the Rockets scored the next six points to turn a three-point deficit into a three-run lead at 7-4. Four of those six points were kills from Liz Beasley, whose strong play early on set the tone for Toledo. The Midnight Blue and Gold would not trail for the rest of the first set, though EMU did pull within two points late, 23-21. Â A service error from the Eagles brought about set point, and Vance collected her fourth kill of the first set for the clinching point.
2nd Set (25-19, Toledo)
EMU once again took an early lead, jumping ahead 6-3 to begin the second set. Toledo scored five straight points to take a 9-7 lead, but Eastern Michigan surged ahead and took a 14-12 lead over UT. Â The Rockets once again used a prolonged scoring run to take control of a set, scoring 11 of the next 12 points to make the score 23-15. Morman and Vance combined for the clinching block in the 25-19 win, giving the Rockets a 2-0 lead in the match. Alt, Beasley, and Vance all had four kills in the second set.
3rd Set (25-22, Toledo)
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that Toledo ultimately won, 25-22, to complete the sweep. Â The Rockets used a little 3-0 run to take a 14-12 lead, courtesy of one kill from Beasley and two from Alt, and would not trail from that point forward. Eastern Michigan managed to tie the score at 20-20, but another termination from Alt and a service ace from Morman put the Rockets back up by two. Sophomore Rhyenne Filisi's termination brought about set point, then Vance delivered the final blow in Toledo's three-set victory with her final kill of the afternoon.
Up Next
Toledo has three matches scheduled for this upcoming week. The Rockets will visit Miami on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. before returning home to host Central Michigan on Friday and Saturday.
