Toledo Drops Five-Set Battle to Ball State

Friday, October 10

Muncie, Ind.

6:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

14-4,5-1MAC

Ball State

10-8,6-0MAC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Toledo	21	25	25	17	12	2
Ball St.	25	21	20	25	15	3

Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp tallied the first 20 kill match of her career on Friday.

10/10/2025 9:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Four Rockets tally double-figure kills in first conference loss

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Toledo women's volleyball team fell in a back-and-forth battle with Ball State (21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 12-15) on Friday in Muncie, Ind.

The Rockets' eight-match win streak was snapped, moving the team to 13-4 (5-1 MAC) on the season.

The Toledo offense had four players to tally double-figure kills, led by sophomore Olivia Heitkamp who recorded her first 20 kill match of her career on a .432 clip. Freshman Jessica Costlow poured in 13 terminations and zero errors on a .371 hitting percentage. Senior Sophie Catalano totaled 12 kills while redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn added 11 kills and six blocks.

Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger led the team with 25 digs, recording her sixth match with 20-plus digs this season. Senior setter Kelsey Smith had 48 assists to go along with nine digs, six blocks and four kills.

The Rockets offense recorded a hitting percentage of .325 on the night, the fifth match this season with a clip over .300.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
"Tonight was really high-level volleyball by both teams -- probably the highest level of execution by both teams in a match we've been a part of this year. Loved how we stayed aggressive and fought from start to finish. Now we get some rest, watch some video, prep some more and make sure we're ready for the first time this year to play the same team on back-to-back nights."

Key Moments

Back-and-forth action kicked off the first set. Ball State took a slight advantage, 14-12, and extended their lead to four with a kill and a service ace, 21-17. Two consecutive kills from Olivia Heitkamp put the Rockets within two, 22-20, but the Cardinals took the set with two kills.
The Rockets and Cardinals traded points early in the second set before Ball State used a service ace to take an 11-9 lead. Toledo fought back to go back-and-forth before a block from Sierra Pertzborn and Sophie Catalano put the Rockets ahead, 19-16. Kelsey Smith and Anna Alford combined for a block to reach set point, 24-20, and a kill from Heitkamp secured the set win.
Three straight blocks in the third set put Toledo ahead early on, 6-3. Sophie Catalano put the Rockets in front by two, 12-10, before the Cardinals tied it up and continued to keep the set close. A 4-0 run allowed Toledo to pull away, earning a 24-20 lead. A kill from Smith gave Toledo the set win.
A 4-0 surge, powered behind an ace from Jessica Costlow and solo block from Pertzborn, gave Toledo a slight advantage in the fourth, 6-4. After trading points, Ball State used a 3-0 run of their own to take a 15-12 lead. Heitkamp and Alford combined for a block to keep Toledo within three, 18-15, before Ball State took a five-point lead, 20-15. The Cardinals used a service ace and a kill to force a fifth set.
Ball State took an early 3-1 lead in the fifth set before the Rockets used a 5-1 run to take a 6-4 lead. After much back-and-forth, Ball State fired off four-straight points to take a 14-10 lead. Two errors from the Cardinals put Toledo within two, 14-12, but Ball State fired off a kill to win the match.

Up Next
Toledo wraps up action against Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 11. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.

Follow the Rockets
Instagram: Toledo_VB
Twitter/X: Toledo_VB
Facebook: Toledo Volleyball