FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team improved to 8-2 on the season with a three-set sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday night.
 
The Rockets' record through 10 matches is the best since 2009, when they got off to a 9-1 start.
 
Sophomore Taylor Alt led all comers with 15 kills, including six in the final set. Junior Ryann Jaqua added 14 digs, while freshman Elaine Redman and sophomore Payton Morman recorded 19 and 16 assists, respectively. Junior Olivia Vance tallied seven kills while hitting .545 and added four blocks.
 
"Tonight was a great team effort against a really good program," head coach Jason Oliver said. "I thought we reached a level of consistency tonight that allowed us to apply a lot of pressure. This is a big week for the program and to get this win tonight is a great first step."­­
 
The Rockets head to Morehead State for a pair of matches this weekend. They'll face Morehead State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before battling Marshall on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
 
Set 1 (Toledo, 25-21)
 
Toledo led for much of the first set, but didn't grab a big lead until late. While holding a slim 15-14 lead, the Rockets rattled off the next eight points to go up by nine, 23-14. After a pair of miscues by the Mastodons, the final six points were al UT: two kills apiece from juniors Liz Beasley and Sina Uluave, a termination from junior Rhyenne FIlisi, and a service ace from Vance contributed to Toledo's scoring spurt. Fort Wayne didn't go quietly, accounting for the next five points to trim the Rockets' lead to four, 23-19, but sophomore Rachel Pierce was able to score the set-clinching point to put her team ahead 1-0 in the match.
 
Set 2 (Toledo, 25-19)
 
The Rockets started off the second set strong, taking a 15-6 lead to put PFW in a big hole. The Mastodons slowly clawed their way back though and trimmed a double-digit deficit into a five, 24-19. Redman's first kill of the night sealed the deal, however, and put Toledo ahead 2-0 in the match. The Rockets hit .333 in the second set, their highest attack percentage of the night.
 
Set 3 (Toledo, 25-23)
 
Purdue Fort Wayne looked to be in a position to extend the match, staying a step ahead of the Rockets for much of the third set. The match looked like it might be going four sets, with the Mastodons holding a 21-17 lead after three straight kills. Filisi stepped up and tallied back-to-back terminations to trim Toledo's deficit to two, 21-19. With the score sitting at 23-23, Alt took matters into her own hands and crushed two straight kills to help Toledo win the set and the match.