TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team wrapped up a 2-0 weekend with a three-set sweep of Akron at home on Saturday.
The Rockets (12-5, 5-1 MAC) won the first two sets convincingly, 25-14 and 25-17, before fending off a frisky Zips squad (4-14, 1-6 MAC) in the third set to hold on for the sweep.
"I was impressed with our defensive intensity throughout the match," head coach Jason Oliver said. "Today was also a great opportunity to get some of our young players some game experience that they have earned through their hard work in practice."
Junior Taylor Alt led Toledo's offensive attack with a match-high 14 kills and senior Olivia Vance was next up with nine. Senior Ryann Jaqua tallied 16 digs and a pair of service aces, while senior Sina Uluave added 10 digs. Junior Payton Morman stuffed the box score with 37 assists, eight digs, and four blocks. Freshman Izzy Granger (three kills) and redshirt freshman Anna Alford (two blocks, one kill) provided big plays for the Rockets in the later stages of the match.
Toledo held Akron to a .019 attack percentage, the fourth time this season it has forced an opponent to hit below .100.
The Rockets will head to Western Michigan next weekend for a pair of matches.
1st Set (25-14, Toledo)
Akron scored the first point of the match, but that would be the only time it held the lead in the first set. Toledo answered with a 9-2 run to take a six-point lead, 9-3, and continued to pile on from there. The Rockets' lead grew to as many as 12 points at 20-8. UT would go on to win 25-14 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Alt and junior Jada Bouyer both registered a team-best five kills in the first set.
2nd Set (25-17, Toledo)
The Rockets opened the second set on a 12-2 run, a stretch that was punctuated with a service ace from Jaqua. Akron cut the lead to single digits later in the set, but Toledo still led wire-to-wire in a 25-17 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Alt matched her kill total from the first set, tallying five terminations.
3rd Set (25-18, Toledo)
The third set was the closest of the match, and the closest Akron got to hanging with Toledo on the scoreboard. The Zips fought to a 14-14 tie near the midway point of the set, but the Rockets stepped on the gas and used a 6-1 run to take a 20-15 lead. Vance's ninth and final kill of the match clinched the win for the Midnight Blue and Gold.
