TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team opened its weekend as hosts of the Blue & Gold Tournament with a five-set win over South Dakota State on Friday night. The victory pushes the Rockets' record to 6-1.

For the second time in the last three matches, Toledo overcame a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets. Sophomore Taylor Alt posted her third double-double of the season, collecting a team-high 19 kills as well as 10 digs. Juniors Rhyenne Filisi and Olivia Vance each provided five blocks, while sophomore Rachel Pierce added four blocks. Freshman Elaine Redman added a season-best 40 assists.

The Blue and Gold Tournament continues with four matches on Saturday. Toledo will face Valparaiso at Noon and Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. The day begins with a battle between South Dakota State and Youngstown State at 10:00 a.m., and the Penguins will also face Valparaiso at 4:30 p.m. All four matches will be live streamed on ESPN3.

Set 1 (South Dakota State, 25-23)
Toledo scored two of the first three points of the night to open the first set, but the Jackrabbits would take control of the first set from that point on. South Dakota State used a 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and led by six late, taking a 23-17 advantage. The Rockets didn't go quietly, fighting to within one at 24-23, but SDSU's Crystal Burk provided the clinching point to put her team ahead 1-0 in the match.

Set 2 (Toledo, 25-15)
The most lopsided set of the night, Toledo took an 8-3 lead and didn't look back. The Rockets' lead ballooned to double-digits for the first time at 18-8 thanks to five straight points, and they led by as many as 11. Alt and Filisi both tallied three kills and two blocks in the second set to help the Midnight Blue and Gold win 25-15 and tie the match at 1-1.

Set 3 (South Dakota State, 25-23)
South Dakota State took a 2-1 lead with a win in the third set, though it may have been the closest of the night. Neither team led by more than two until SDSU took a 10-7 lead after scoring four points in a row. Toledo fought to tie the score at 13-13, but didn't grab a share of the lead again until 19-19 thanks to a 5-1 run. That would be the last time the Rockets weren't trailing in the third set, as the Jackrabbits' Chloe Stitt registered back-to-back kills to make it 21-19 to give her team the lead for good. SDSU eventually won 25-23 to put the Rockets on the brink.

Set 4 (Toledo, 25-22)
Toledo led for much of the fourth set, but nearly tripped up near the finish line. Holding a 21-17 lead, UT surrendered the next five points, all of a sudden finding itself trailing 22-21. Alt made it a 22-22 stalemate with her fifth termination of the set, and Pierce tallied a block to emphatically give the Rockets the lead. A kill off the hand of Vance provided the 25^th point and force a decisive fifth set. Sophomore Claire Eiden entered the game with the score tied at 22-22 and provided strong play at the service line to help UT stay alive.

Set 5 (Toledo, 15-12)
The Rockets started the fifth set in exciting fashion, taking a 3-0 lead on two service aces from junior Sina Uluave and a kill from Filisi. South Dakota State was able to grab a share of the lead twice, at 4-4 and 5-5, but another kill from Alt gave Toledo a lead that it would not relinquish. Alt's kill started a 5-0 run that ended with her second service ace of the night to make the score 11-6, and sophomore Jada Bouyer came off the bench to provide the match-clinching point to give the Rockets a 15-12 win in the final frame.