MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – The Toledo women's volleyball team rallied to record a hard-fought 3-2 win (22-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 15-9) over Central Michigan on Friday evening. The victory was the sixth straight for the Rockets and moves Toledo to 12-3 (3-0 MAC), which is the best start to a season in program history.

Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp paced the Rockets' offense, recording a career-best 17 kills on a .500 clip with only two errors. Junior Brooke Naniseni added a career-high seven terminations. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn also had seven kills to go along with eight total blocks.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith recorded a double-double in the second consecutive match, totaling 37 assists and a team-high 17 digs to go with four blocks and four kills. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger poured in 16 digs and a team-best four service aces.

Toledo's defense tallied 12 total blocks and held the Chippewas to a .138 hitting percentage.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
On the match:
"Really proud of our fight tonight. Being down 2-1 on the road in the MAC and coming back to win is a big deal. This is a never-give-up team that shows up day-in and day-out, and we executed well when we got pushed. Liv (Heitkamp) was solid offensively all night long; it was a huge night for her. I'm really proud of Brooke (Naniseni), Kayla (Ozanich) and Iremnr (Elmas) for coming off the bench and making a huge impact. It's always a sign of a great team when everyone is ready to compete."

On setting the program record:
"You never set out with records in mind or trying to do anything other than be great and be your best every single day. Having said that, when you break any record like this and are part of writing history in a long-storied program, it's a big deal.  This is a team that wants to continue to elevate Toledo Volleyball on to an even bigger stage and I'm proud of the work they put in each day to make it a priority."

Key Moments

• Central Michigan took an 8-3 lead in the first set. The Rockets got within two, 12-10, thanks to a kill from Anna Alford. A solo block from Kelsey Smith tied the match, 14-14, and the Rockets took their first lead off of a kill from Olivia Heitkamp, 17-15. The Chippewas used a string of kills to reach set point, 24-21, and took the set win on a kill.
• After trading points to the start of the second set, Central Michigan took a slight lead, 18-15. A 4-0 run, powered by kills from Brooke Naniseni and Jessica Costlow, gave Toledo a slight advantage, 20-19. The Rockets reached set point, 24-21, before a kill from Sierra Pertzborn evened the match at one set apiece.
• The Chippewas jumped out to a 11-4 lead in the third set before Toledo fired off three-straight points to get within four, 14-10. Back-to-back aces from Central Michigan put them ahead and they pushed the lead to seven, 22-15. Toledo got within three, 24-21, thanks to two aces from Grace Freiberger before the Chippewas won the set on a kill.
• Back-and-forth action kicked off the fourth set before a block from Pertzborn and Smith put Toledo in front, 14-9. The Chippewas responded and used three-straight points to get within three, 20-17. Iremnur Elmas fired off a kill to get the Rockets at set point, 24-19, and forced a fifth set with another termination.
• Smith and Pertzborn combined for a block to give Toledo a 6-2 lead in the fifth set. Ozanich and Heitkamp kept the Rockets in front with kills, 10-5. An error from CMU put UT at match point, 14-6, and Ozanich hammered home a kill to take the match victory.

Up Next
Toledo heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 4. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.

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