YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Toledo women's volleyball team recorded its seventh-straight win with a 3-1 victory (25-16, 19-25, 26-24, 25-23) over Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.

The Rockets move to 13-3 on the season and have won their first four matches in Mid-American Conference play. Their 13-3 record is the best start in school history.

Freshman Jessica Costlow led the Toledo offense with 16 kills and 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Senior Sophie Catalano and graduate student Iremnur Elmas each added 10 kills on their own. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn poured in nine kills and six blocks.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith had 43 assists and 12 digs for her third-straight double-double. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger led the team with 24 digs, her fourth match this season with 20-plus digs.

The Rockets totaled eight service aces, as four different players fired off two aces against the Eagles.

Quoting Coach Wright
"Super gritty win. Back-to-back road matches in different cities gives you a chance to be resilient and consistent despite the circumstances. After the match was tied 1-1 and we were down early in the third, Gabbi (LeBlanc) came in and was a massive spark for us. I am so proud of her. This is a team that fights together and everyone is always ready. We needed all of it tonight. Jessica (Costlow) was a consistent and amazingly mature presence on a night when she had to take a lot more swings than her normal and she handled it so well. For the second day in a row, Kayla (Ozanich) and Iremnur (Elmas) came off the bench with a ton of production, focus and energy. Really really good team win."

Key Moments

• A 4-0 run to kick off the first set put Toledo ahead 8-4. Eastern Michigan cut the lead to five, 17-12, before Sierra Pertzborn had a kill to extend the advantage, 21-14. The Rockets finished off the set on a 3-0 surge, powered behind two kills from Sophie Catalano, to take the set win. 
• EMU jumped out to a 6-2 lead early in the second set. A kill from the Eagles extended their lead, 15-11. Iremnur Elmas recorded a kill to get the Rockets within three, 22-19, but EMU used a 3-0 run to take the set victory. 
• The Eagles used a 5-0 run to take a 10-3 advantage in the third set. Toledo responded with a 7-0 surge to take a 13-12 lead. Kayla Ozanich kept the Rockets in front, 23-20, but EMU responded with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the match, 24-24. Ozanich put the Rockets at set point and a block from Pertzborn and Catalano secured the set win. 
• After trading points back-and-forth in the fourth, Toledo fired off a 4-0 run to take a 10-14 lead. An ace from Grace Freiberger extended the Rockets' advantage, 20-15. The Eagles used a 3-0 surge to get within three, 23-20, before Smith put Toledo at match point and Pertzborn secured the match victory.

Up Next
Toledo hosts Bowling Green for the Battle of I-75 on Tuesday, Oct. 6. First serve from Savage Arena is set for 6:00 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+. For tickets, go to UTRockets.com/VBTix.

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