TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team ended its weekend with a three-set sweep of Youngstown State on Saturday night to clinch first place at the Blue & Gold Tournament. The Rockets dropped a tough five-set battle to Valparaiso earlier in the day.
After a 2-1 weekend at home, Toledo now boasts a record of 7-2 on the season.
"All in all I was happy with the way we competed as a team," head coach Jason Oliver said. "We found stretches of great play and found ways to put the other teams under pressure. We need to build on this and really find more consistent play to solidify our style of play. It was a great tournament to be a part of because of all the staff and workers that made a huge effort. I am happy that we could represent their hard work with two wins this weekend."
Sophomore Taylor Alt was named Tournament MVP, while teammates freshman Elaine Redman and junior Sina Uluave were named to the All-Tournament Team. Alt averaged 3.62 kills/set and 1.92 digs/set over the course of the weekend and posted two double-doubles in three matches. Redman averaged 6.62 assists/set, including a season-best 40 in the come-from-behind win over South Dakota State on Friday. Uluave was especially excellent on Saturday, tallying 12 kills and 15 digs against Valpo and 14 kills in three sets against Youngstown State. Â
Next up for the Rockets is a midweek matchup at Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Next weekend, UT heads to Morehead State for a tournament with matches schedule against the hosts as well as Marshall.
Valparaiso 3, Toledo 2
Set 1 (Valparaiso, 25-21)
Valpo led wire-to-wire in the first set, scoring the first three points of the afternoon to take an early lead. Toledo was able to pull within two late, 19-17, but the Beacons used a 5-1 run to bring about set point at 24-18. Despite a late 3-0 Toledo run, including back-to-back aces from Redman, Valparaiso was able to close things out and win 25-21.
Set 2 (Toledo, 25-20)
The Beacons led at 11-8 at one juncture, but the Rockets scored four straight to turn a three-point deficit into a one-point lead at 12-11. The two teams continued to battle it out until, with the score tied at 14-14, Toledo provided a damaging blow with a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 lead. Junior Olivia Vance accounted for three of the five points, tallying two kills and a block. From that point on the Rockets didn't look back, clinching the second set on a kill from junior Liz Beasley to tie the match at 1-1.
Set 3 (Valparaiso, 25-22)
Once again, Valparaiso won a set without trailing, taking a 2-1 lead in the match by claiming the third frame. Toledo held a share of the lead at 8-8, but six straight points from the Beacons gave quickly gave them a 14-8 lead. The Rockets proved to be pesky, trimming the deficit to one point on multiple occasions and as late as 23-22, but they couldn't make it over the hump.
Set 4 (Toledo, 28-26)
The fourth set was the closest of the day and took extra time to find a winner, but the Rockets eventually outlasted the Beacons to force a fifth frame. Toledo held a 24-21 lead and looked to be in prime position to extend the match, but Valpo scored the next three points to make it 24-24. Valparaiso committed a critical service error to give UT a 25-24 lead, but scored the next two points to make it 26-25 and put itself one point away from victory. Vance and Alt stepped up though and registered back-to-back blocks to clinch the fourth set.
Set 5 (Valparaiso, 15-11)
The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair that the Beacons eventually won 15-11. Toledo held a three-point lead at 9-6, but Valpo went on a 5-1 run to pull ahead by one. Another block off the hands of Vance tied the score at 11-11, but Valparaiso tallied the next four points to clinch the match.
Toledo 3, Youngstown State 0
Set 1 (Toledo, 25-21)
Toledo started the match by scoring the first three points, but the Penguins flipped the script with an 8-2 run to take an 8-3 lead. The Rockets continued to battle though and broke through late, scoring three straight points to move ahead 19-16. With the score tied at 20-20, Toledo took the next four points to make it 24-20 and Uluave eventually recorded the 25th points to give UT a 1-0 lead in the match, her fifth and final kill of the first set.
Set 2 (Toledo, 25-20)
Uluave was even better in the second set, notching six kills and hitting .364 to help the Midnight Blue and Gold win 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Youngstown State last held a share of the lead at the 11-11 mark, before Toledo scored the next three points to move out in front 14-11. Vance and sophomore Rachel Pierce combined on a block to provide an emphatic end to the second set.
Set 3 (Toledo, 25-14)
The Rockets started the third set on a 10-2 run and never looked back, doubling up the Penguins at 18-9 after a quick 4-0 run. Toledo hit .429 in the final set of the night, its best of the weekend. Sophomore Abby Erickson ended the weekend on a high note with an outstanding third set, tallying six kills on seven attempts to hit .857 and help her team win 25-14.
