Toledo Sweeps Weekend with 3-1 Victory Over Buffalo

Sunday, September 27

Buffalo, N.Y.

3 p.m.

University of Toledo

10-2,2-0MAC

Buffalo

9-4,1-1MAC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Toledo	26	25	25	25	3
Buffalo	28	20	17	17	1

Ava Siefke had a team-best 14 kills against Buffalo on Sunday.

Photo by: Ellen Holton

Toledo Sweeps Weekend with 3-1 Victory Over Buffalo

9/27/2026 5:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Four Rockets tally double-figure kills in road win over Bulls

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Toledo women's volleyball team closed out the first weekend of Mid-American Conference play with a 3-1 road victory (26-28, 25-20, 25-17, 25-17) over Buffalo on Sunday afternoon.

The Rockets (10-2, 2-0 MAC) saw four players reach double figure kills, led by Ava Siefke with 14 terminations on a .417 clip. Sierra Pertzborn added in 13 kills, while Jessica Costlow had 12 kills with only one error on a .407 hitting percentage to go along with 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Kayla Ozanich chipped in 10 kills of her own to go a team-high three blocks.

Maddy Bach paced the team with 22 assists and 14 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Grace Freiberger added in 11 digs and 11 assists, while Janelle Green poured in 21 helpers.

The Rockets tallied a team hitting percentage of .326, including a .533 clip in the third set. This is the fifth contest of the season where UT has hit over .300.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
"2-0 start to MAC play on the road with a long road trip is a fantastic way to start off league play. Buffalo did a really good job in the match creating some tough situations for us. I was proud of our team and staff for making adjustments, staying aggressive and playing with super high volleyball IQ throughout the match. We got better the longer the match went on and that's a sign of a great team. Long trip home and then a few days to prepare for big time matches next Friday and Saturday in Savage! So excited to be back in front of our fans!"

Key Moments

The Rockets and Bulls traded points to begin the first set before UT fired off a 6-1 run to take a 15-10 lead. Kills from Audrey Dyas and Sophie Catalano put UT ahead, 19-13, before Buffalo used a 5-1 run of its own to get within one, 20-19. Both sides went back-and-forth, with Catalano putting the Rockets at set point, 26-25, before Buffalo fired off three-straight points to take the set win, 28-26.
Toledo took a 6-3 lead in the second set before Buffalo used a 7-1 run to get in front, 10-7. UT responded with a 9-2 run of its own, highlighted by a solo block from Kayla Ozanich and four kills from Ava Siefke, to retake the lead, 19-14. Buffalo closed the gap to two with four quick points, 20-18, before two kills from Costlow gave the Rockets the set win.
UT used a quick 3-0 run to take a 12-9 lead in the third set. A solo block from Ozanich extended Toledo's advantage, 20-13, and the Rockets reached set point with a Buffalo error. Lilly Merk hammered home a kill to get the set victory.
The Rockets jumped out to an early 7-3 lead in the fourth set behind kills from Siefke and Olivia Heitkamp. Buffalo battled back to even the set, 9-9, before both teams went back-and-forth. An ace from Maddy Bach and a kill from Pertzborn put Toledo back in front, 20-16, before another kill from Pertzborn kept UT ahead by six, 23-17. The Rockets closed out the match with a kill from Ozanich and a block from Pertzborn and Ozanich for the win.

Up Next
Toledo will return home to host Ball State (11-2, 2-0 MAC) for a pair of conference matches on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 2-3. Taylor Alt's jersey retirement ceremony will be prior to first serve on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.