MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Toledo women's volleyball team saw its three-match winning streak snapped at Central Michigan on Sunday, falling to the Chippewas in three sets.
Despite the final score, all three sets were quite close and could have gone either way. The Rockets lost by just two points in all three sets and played extra points in the second and third. The first set ended with a 25-23 final score, the second set score was 28-26, and the third and final set ended at 27-25.
Senior
Taylor Alt led all players offensively with 19 kills, and senior
Jada Bouyer added 10 kills for her eighth double-digit kill performance of the year. Senior
Abby Erickson hit .471 and tallied nine kills. Two Rockets reached double figures in digs, with fifth-year senior
Ryann Jaqua collecting a match-high 14. Jaqua now has 1,985 career digs, putting her just 15 away from becoming the second player in school history with 2,000 digs. Sophomore
Izzy Granger had 10 digs and seven terminations. Freshman
Macy Hatkevich started at setter and contributed 40 assists, a career-best total
Toledo has a quick turnaround for its next two matches. UT heads to Miami on Thursday to face the RedHawks before visiting archrival Bowling Green on Friday.
1st Set (25-23, Central Michigan)
Toledo got off to a good start in the first set, scoring five of the first seven points. The Rockets enjoyed a modest lead for much of the first set, but a 5-0 run by the Chippewas gave them a 16-15 lead. Toledo regained the lead, 21-18, before three straight points from CMU tied the score at 21-21.
Taylor Alt's termination gave UT a 22-21 lead, but that would be the final time they led in the first set. Central Michigan scored four of the final five points of the set to win, 25-23, and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
2nd Set (28-26, Central Michigan)
The Chippewas were able to score points in bunches in the opening stages of the second stanza and grabbed an 11-7 lead. Both teams' offenses kicked into high gear for a stretch, as they combined to tally nine consecutive kills. That period ended with three straight Toledo terminations, and Alt's kill put the Rockets out in front 18-17. The Rockets and Chippewas traded points and battled to tie scores at 21-21, 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, and 26-26. Central Michigan ended the second set with two straight points, though, to win the set and go up 2-0.
3rd Set (27-25, Central Michigan)
The third set proved to be the closest of the match, featuring 17 tie scores and five lead changes. The Rockets jumped out to a 9-4 lead, but CMU answered with a 7-1 run to take an 11-10 advantage. Toledo and Central Michigan were about as evenly matched as two teams could be from that point on, as neither squad led by more than a point until the very end of the match. After a Chippewa service error tied the score at 25-25, they scored two straight points to end the third set and the match, winning the third frame by a score of 27-25.
