WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Toledo women's volleyball team wrapped up its weekend in Winston-Salem with a three-set loss vs. Grand Canyon on Saturday.
The Rockets and Antelopes played a back-and-forth first set that saw 12 ties and four lead changes, though GCU eventually won 25-22 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Toledo trailed early in the second set and came back to within a point late, but fell by an identical 25-22 score to fall behind 2-0. Grand Canyon won the third set, 25-16, to complete the sweep.
Senior
Taylor Alt led Toledo with 12 kills, her second double-digit termination performance of the weekend. Freshman
Macy Hatkevich got the start at setter and provided 28 assists, while fifth-year senior
Rhyenne Filisi added a match-high five blocks. Fellow fifth-year senior
Ryann Jaqua collected 13 digs.
"That was a fun match to play in," head coach
Jason Oliver said. "Really high-level volleyball by both teams. Grand Canyon was special today and played really consistently. It is a good lesson for our group moving forward."
The Rockets will play at home for the first time this season next weekend. They'll host a tournament featuring Virginia Tech, Memphis, and Youngstown State.
1st Set (25-22, Grand Canyon)
The Rockets and Antelopes traded barbs for much of the first set and fought to a 19-19 stalemate. Two straight points put the Midnight Blue and Gold ahead, 21-19, but Grand Canyon responded with four straight scores to take a 23-21 lead. A kill off the hand of Alt made it a one-score margin, but GCU closed out the first set to win 25-22 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
2nd Set (25-22, Grand Canyon)
Toledo scored the first two points of the set, but Grand Canyon responded with five straight points to put the score at 5-2. The Rockets clawed their way back into contention, pulling within a point at 17-16 and again at 22-21. That would be the closest they would get though, as the Antelopes won the second set by an identical 25-22 margin to go up 2-0.
3rd Set (25-16, Grand Canyon)
Alt provided the first point of the third set with a termination, but Grand Canyon responded with six straight points and never looked back. GCU led by as many as 10 in the third set and the final score settled at 25-16, handing the Antelopes a three-set sweep.
