TEMPE, Ariz. – The Toledo women's volleyball team opened its 2022 season with a pair of wins at the Webb-Burbridge Classic at Arizona State on Friday. The Rockets defeated Northern Iowa and CSU Bakersfield with both victories coming in four sets.
 
"I thought today was a great start," head coach Jason Oliver said. "We showed some stretches of great volleyball against some quality opponents. We are learning more every time we compete and I think it will benefit us to keep learning in challenging environments like this."
 
Toledo lost the first set in both matches, but came back to win sets two, three, and four each time. In the first match against the Panthers, UT hit a combined .339 over the final two sets to pave its way to a win. Junior Jada Bouyer led the way with a career-best 13 kills and four blocks, while senior Sina Uluave (10) and junior Taylor Alt (10) both reached double-digits in terminations as well. Junior Payton Morman tallied 38 assists and 12 digs, and senior Ryann Jaqua added a team-high 19 digs. Senior Rhyenne Filisi recorded a match-high six blocks.
 
In the nightcap against the Roadrunners, Toledo rebounded from a poor first set to hit .480, .371, and .435 in the final three sets to win the match. Alt was outstanding, registering 25 kills and hitting .396 to lead the charge. Uluave recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, and Jaqua once again led the team with 21 digs. Morman, getting her second start of the day at setter, added 44 assists.
 
Toledo will face tournament host Arizona State on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The match will be streamed live on Pac-12 Network Arizona.
 
Toledo 3, Northern Iowa 1
 
1^st set (25-18, Northern Iowa)
 
The Rockets scored the first two points of the match before UNI used an 8-3 run to take a three-point lead. Toledo fought back to retake the lead, 11-10, on a kill by junior Abby Erickson. The Panthers quickly tied the set at 11-11 before rattling off a 6-2 run to take a 17-13 advantage they would not relinquish. Northern Iowa would go on to win the first set, 25-18.
 
2^nd set (25-21, Toledo)
 
UNI took an early lead this time, jumping out to a 9-5 advantage to begin the set. Toledo chipped away at the deficit though, eventually tying the score at 13-13 on a block by senior Olivia Vance. The Panthers nearly put the Rockets in a 2-0 hole in the match, holding a lead as late as 21-20. But Toledo was able to score the final five points of the set to win, 25-21, and tie the match at 1-1. Uluave was terrific in the second stanza, tallying five kills on seven attempts with zero errors.
 
3^rd Set (25-19, Toledo)
 
Junior Claire Eiden opened the set with a service ace to get things going, but Northern Iowa scored five of the next six points to take a 5-2 lead. The Panthers would hold a lead for much of the third set and held an 18-15 lead at one point. The Rockets then scored four straight points, a run punctuated by a kill from Alt, to take a 19-18 lead. After a UNI termination brought the score back to a 19-19 stalemate, UT scored six unanswered points to win, 25-19, and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Morman ended the set the same way Eiden started it, with a service ace.
 
4^th Set (25-17, Toledo)
 
Toledo led the final set wire-to-wire and turned it its best offensive performance of the match by far, hitting .400 (13-1-30). The Rockets jumped out to a 6-1 lead to set the tone, then withstood a few UNI comeback attempts late in the set. The Panthers trimmed their deficit to two late, 19-17, before the Rockets scored six straight points to end the match. Bouyer and Filisi combined on a block to provide the clinching point.
 
Toledo 3, CSU Bakersfield 1
 
1^st Set (25-21, CSU Bakersfield)
 
The Roadrunners opened the match on an 8-3 run and didn't trail for the remainder of the set. Toledo fought to within two points late in the set, 21-19, on a kill from Uluave, but would not get any closer. A CSUB block ended the first set and put the Rockets in a 1-0 hole.
 
2^nd Set (25-16, Toledo)
 
The two teams traded leads early in the set and played to a 6-6 stalemate early. Bouyer and Alt then tallied back-to-back kills to give Toledo a lead, which it would hold for the rest of the set. The Rockets were firing on all cylinders in the second frame, hitting .480 en route to a 25-16 win. Alt, Filisi, Uluave, and Vance all tallied three kills in the second set.
 
3^rd Set (25-23, Toledo)
 
The third set against the Roadrunners was the closest of the day for the Rockets, who won by a slim two-point margin to take a 2-1 lead in the match. A service ace by Bakersfield trimmed Toledo's lead to one, 21-20, but two straight UT points pushed the lead back to three, 23-20. The Roadrunners didn't go down without a fight, scoring a couple points to once again pull within a point of the Rockets. Both teams traded service errors to put the score at 24-23 in favor of Toledo, then Bouyer and Vance combined on a block to end the set and put UT ahead 2-1 in the match.
 
4^th Set (25-14, Toledo)
 
The Rockets won the fourth set in dominant fashion, jumping out to an 11-3 lead to kick things off and never trailing. Toledo would take a 12-point lead, 21-9, its largest of the day, a stretch that was highlighted by three straight aces from Morman. Bouyer provided the final point of the match to cap the second victory of the day for the Midnight Blue and Gold.