Toledo Opens MAC Play with 3-0 Sweep Over Akron

Friday, September 25

Akron, Ohio

6 p.m.

University of Toledo

9-2,1-0MAC

Akron

6-8,1-1MAC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Toledo	25	25	26	3
Akron	17	20	24	0

Jessica Costlow had seven kills in the 3-0 sweep over Akron on Friday night.

Photo by: Ellen Holton

9/25/2026 8:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Sophie Catalano and Kayla Ozanich lead Rockets offensively with eight kills

AKRON, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-20, 26-24) over Akron on Friday night.

The Rockets' offense (9-2, 1-0 MAC) was led by Sophie Catalano and Kayla Ozanich with eight kills each, while Jessica Costlow poured in seven terminations of her own.

On the defensive side of the ball, four players recorded double-figure digs led by Maddy Bach with 13 with Avery Adamski, Grace Freiberger and Janelle Green each tallying 10 digs on the night.

Toledo held Akron to a .092 hitting percentage, the fourth match this season that a Rocket opponent has been held to a clip of .100 or less.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
"Every win in the MAC is a good win, especially a road win. Loved the way we battled. Akron does a good job on its block and defense and runs the fastest offense we've seen this year. I liked the adjustments we made while still playing our style of game. We were extremely efficient offensively and very balanced. Defensively, our block was very aggressive and everyone across the board had a good night in the back row. Off to Buffalo tomorrow to continue this multi-day road trip and excited to battle again on Sunday."

Key Moments

Toledo fired off a 4-0 run, highlighted by a block from Sierra Pertzborn and Kayla Ozanich, to take an 11-6 lead in the first set. Jessica Costlow kept the Rockets in front, 20-15, before a 5-1 surge put UT at set point, 24-17. Costlow secured the set win with a kill.
Back-to-back kills from Sophie Catalano and Costlow put Toledo in front 10-6 during the second set. Akron used a quick four-point swing to get within two, 12-10, before kills from Pertzborn and Ozanich opened the lead to 16-12. Olivia Heitkamp pushed UT's advantage to five, 20-15, before Akron was able to get within three, 20-17. Ozanich helped the Rockets reach set point and two Akron errors gave UT the win.
After going back-and-forth to open the third set, kills from Ava Siefke and Catalano pushed UT in front, 15-11. A 4-0 run by the Zips evened the set, 15-15, and both sides continued to trade points. No team got more than one point ahead of the other before Costlow put Toledo at match point and a block from Costlow and Ozanich secured the sweep.

Up Next
Toledo will wrap up its first weekend of conference play with a matchup against Buffalo on Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve from Buffalo, N.Y. is set for 3 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.