LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Toledo women's volleyball team saw its 2022 season come to an end on Sunday with a loss to Western Carolina in the second round of the NIVC. The Rockets finish their season with a record of 19-13.
One day after beating Clemson in the first round, Toledo played a tough Western Carolina squad that hit .336 while holding UT to a .188 attack percentage. The Catamounts (20-12) won the first set, 25-14, but the Rockets played them closely in the second and third sets.
Junior Taylor Alt led Toledo with 16 kills, bringing her single-season total to 457, which ranks fifth all-time in school history. Junior Jada Bouyer collected 11 kills and hit .348, and senior Sina Uluave was close behind with eight kills. Senior Ryann Jaqua recorded 24 digs to bring her season total to 564, tied for fourth most in a single-season in school history. Junior Mary-Kate Lopez got her second straight start at setter and contributed 38 assists.
1st Set (25-14, Western Carolina)
The start of Sunday's match was all Catamounts as they opened up a 9-2 lead to get things going. The Rockets did pull within three, 14-11, and kept pace with the opposition until Western Carolina surged ahead with seven straight points to end the set, winning 25-14 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
2nd Set (30-28, Western Carolina)
The second set needed extra points to finish and saw 17 tie scores. Toledo wasn't in a great spot late, trailing 21-18, but was able to tie the score at 23-23. The Rockets showed toughness in the end of the set, forcing six set points before ultimately falling by a score of 30-28.
3rd Set (25-22, Western Carolina)
The third set was tied 18 times as the Catamounts fought to advance to the next round and the Rockets fought to stay alive. Neither team led by more than a point until the midway point of the set. With the score tied at 11-11, Alt tallied a kill and followed that up with a service ace to put UT ahead 13-11. Toledo nearly forced a fourth set after taking a 21-20 lead, but Western Carolina ended the match on a 5-1 run to win, 25-22, and complete the sweep.
