TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo women's volleyball recorded a 3-1 victory (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-16) over Bowling Green in front of a record crowd of 2,251 fans in Savage Arena on Tuesday night. The crowd bested the previous attendance record of 1,482 set at the Oct. 1, 2024 match against Bowling Green.

The win marks the first win over the Falcons since a 3-2 decision at Bowling Green on Oct. 6, 2023 and the first victory at Savage Arena over BGSU since a 3-2 win on Oct. 23, 2015.

The Rockets move to 14-3 (5-0 MAC) on the season and have now won eight consecutive matches. This is the first time in program history the Rockets have started off Mid-American Conference play with a 5-0 record, besting the previous 5-1 record set last in 2023. Toledo also improved upon its best overall start in program history with the win.

Toledo's offense was led by redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn and sophomore Olivia Heitkamp. Pertzborn tallied a career-best 15 kills on a .448 clip while Heitkamp poured in 15 terminations of her own.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith recorded 36 assists and 11 digs to tally her fourth-straight double-double while adding two service aces. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger led the team with 20 digs and two service aces, while freshman Jessica Costlow totaled a team-high three service aces and 11 digs for her fifth match this season with double-figure digs.

The Rockets tallied eight service aces in the contest, marking their 10^th match this season with eight or more aces. The team fired off four aces in the first set and took match point on an ace from Smith.

Quoting Coach Wright
"This team does such a fantastic job of representing Toledo. Seeing the stands full with cheering fans and giving us such a huge home court advantage tonight was a fantastic feeling for our team and staff. We work hard every day to represent this university and city the right way and we sincerely appreciate the support from a record-breaking crowd tonight! A win over a rival on top of that is a pretty amazing feeling! So proud of our team for everything they've put in to being consistently great every day. Now we wake up tomorrow, get back in the gym and get ready to take on another high level team on our road trip this weekend."

Key Moments

• A 4-0 run in the first set, powered behind two aces from Grace Freiberger, put Toledo in front, 8-5. An ace from Jessica Costlow extended the Rockets' advantage, 12-7, before the Falcons fired off three-straight points of their own to get within two, 18-16. A kill from Olivia Heitkamp helped the Rockets reach set point, 24-20, but Bowling Green tallied three-straight points to get within one, 24-23. Toledo took the set on a service error from the Falcons.
• Bowling Green jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the second set. A kill from Anna Alford put Toledo back within four, 10-6, before the Falcons extended their advantage to 15-9. The Rockets got within five, 20-15, but Bowling Green took the set win with a kill.
• Both sides traded points to begin action in the third set, but the Rockets fired off a 6-0 surge behind three kills from Heitkamp to take an 18-11 lead. A termination from Pertzborn extended Toledo's lead, 23-15, before Bowling Green used a 3-0 run to get within five, 23-18. A kill from Kelsey Smith put the Rockets at set point, 24-18, and a block from Pertzborn and Heitkamp secured the set win. 
• The Rockets began the fourth set with a 4-0 run. A kill from Iremnur Elmas kept Toledo in front, 11-8, but a block from Bowling Green got the Falcons within two, 15-13. A termination from Smith extended Toledo's lead to 21-14, and Sophie Catalano put the Rockets at match point with a kill. Smith tallied an ace to record the match victory.

Up Next
Toledo heads to Muncie, Ind. for a pair of conference matchups against Ball State on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11. Friday's match will begin at 6:00 p.m.

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