TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team continued its strong start to MAC play with a four-set victory over Buffalo on Friday.
The Rockets (11-5, 4-1 MAC) won the first set 25-22, but the Bulls (10-8, 2-4 MAC) came back to win the second set 25-23 to even the match at 1-1. Toledo then won a pair of close sets, 25-21 and 25-20, to clinch the match.
"It was a hard-fought match and both teams were at each other all night," head coach Jason Oliver said. "I am happy we found a couple more sideouts when we needed them. I hope we build on this and continue to improve tomorrow."
Senior Ryann Jaqua had a productive night, tallying 32 digs to lead all comers. Jaqua has now cracked 30 digs three times this season, including twice in the last three matches. Senior Rhyenne Filisi was a force at the net, tying a career-high with eight blocks, and junior Taylor Alt led the way offensively with 13 kills while collecting 10 digs, her fourth double-double of the year. Senior Sina Uluave collected 11 kills and 10 digs, her third double-double of the season, and senior Olivia Vance added a season-high 12 kills. Junior Payton Morman paced the offensive attack with 37 assists.
The Rockets return to the court on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to host Akron. The match will be streamed live on ESPN3.
1st Set (25-22, Toledo)
The first set of the night was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to grab a lead larger than two until Buffalo jumped ahead 14-11. Toledo answered with a 6-1 run to take a 17-15 lead and would not trail for the remainder of the set despite several Buffalo advances. The Bulls did make a late charge, scoring three straight points to tie it up at 21-21, but the Rockets ended the set on a 4-1 run to win, 25-22, and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vance was terrific in the first set, tallying five kills on eight attacks.
2nd Set (25-23, Buffalo)
Toledo got off to a great start in the second set, taking an 11-4 lead. Buffalo answered with an 11-3 scoring run that ended with seven straight points to take a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout. The Rockets were able to reclaim their lead and stay ahead of the Bulls until the very end, when the visitors scored four straight points to take a 24-22 advantage. Vance's kill cut the UT deficit to one, 24-23, but Buffalo's Cali Assaley pounded the clinching kill to tie the match at 1-1.
3rd Set (25-21, Toledo)
Buffalo led early, but Toledo took advantage of multiple UB service errors to move ahead and take a 9-7 lead. The Rockets would hold the lead for the remainder of the third set, never leading by fewer than two, and eventually won 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The third set was won at the service line, as Buffalo handed Toledo six service errors and the Rockets tallied two aces.
4th Set (25-20, Toledo)
Toledo surged out to an 8-3 lead to open the fourth set, but five straight Buffalo points quickly tied the score at 8-8. The Bulls played their way to a 16-15 lead, but the Rockets answered with three straight points to take a 18-16 lead and force UB to call a timeout. Buffalo was able to trim Toledo's lead to one on multiple occasions, but UT's offensive attack was too much in the end. The final four points for the Midnight Blue and Gold were all tallied on kills, and Filisi's final termination of the match sealed the deal for the Rockets.
