DEKALB, Ill. – Toledo women's volleyball fired off 16 service aces in a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-15) over Northern Illinois on Friday night. With the win, Toledo moves to 15-5 (6-2 MAC) on the season.

This marks the Rockets' fourth match this season with double-figure service aces and the second-most aces in a four-set match. Senior setter Kelsey Smith led the team with a career-high six aces to go along with 41 assists.

Sophomore outside hitter Olivia Heitkamp led the Rockets offense with 15 kills on a career-best .538 clip with only one error. Freshman outside hitter Jessica Costlow poured in 10 kills and three service aces.

Senior Sophie Catalano and redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn each recorded nine terminations while Pertzborn added four blocks. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger paced the defense, totaling 12 digs to go along with two aces. Junior defensive specialist Avery Adamski added three aces of her own.

After dropping the first set, the Rockets responded by firing off 13 total kills on a .524 hitting percentage to propel the offense in the second set, sparking a sweep of the final three sets.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
"I am really proud of our consistency and response. NIU had a great game plan and executed really well to put us on our heels early. We did a great job of just continuing to be ourselves while upping our execution both offensively and defensively. Super proud of our resiliency. We look forward to watching film and making some adjustments before a quick turnaround and another match with the Huskies tomorrow."

Key Moments

• Northern Illinois used a quick 4-0 run to take an early 7-2 lead in the first set. A kill from Sophie Catalano and a block from Sierra Pertzborn helped put the Rockets within two, 13-11, before the Huskies were able to extend their lead with two kills, 18-12. A service ace from Gabbi LeBlanc put the Rockets within three, 19-16, but NIU fired off two points to extend their lead, 21-16. Jessica Costlow used a kill to get Toledo within two, 23-21, before the Huskies recorded a block to win the set.
• The Rockets started off the second set with a 5-1 run to take the quick advantage and never looked back. Anna Alford tallied a solo block to keep UT ahead, 10-4, and an ace from Smith extended the lead to eight, 13-5. A block from the Huskies got them within ten, 19-9, before two errors from NIU secured the win for the Rockets.
• The teams went back-and-forth before the Rockets gained a 12-7 lead behind kills from Catalano and Costlow and an ace from Smith. A solo block from Pertzborn extended UT's lead to five, 17-12, and Heitkamp kept the Rockets ahead by seven, 22-14. An attack error from the Huskies put Toledo at set point, 24-17, and a Costlow kill secured the set win.
• Toledo used a 5-0 run to take an early lead in the fourth set. Northern Illinois fired off a kill to take a slight lead, 10-9, before a kill from Heitkamp and an ace from Costlow put UT back ahead, 16-12. Heitkamp put the Rockets in front by six, 21-15 before Smith fired off three-straight service aces to take the match victory.

Up Next
Toledo will wrap up play against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 18. First serve is set for 5:00 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN+.

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