The Toledo women’s volleyball team closes out its non-conference schedule with the Blue/Gold Invitational this weekend at Savage Arena. The Rockets will take on Tennessee Tech and New Mexico on Friday and Youngstown State on Saturday.
Fans attending games this weekend will be able to get team posters before each match and autographs afterwards. Also:
– For the Tennessee Tech match there will be a double cheeseburger giveaway to celebrate National Double Cheeseburger Day and all UT faculty can get in free with their university ID.
– The Friday evening match against New Mexico will be a “Gold Rush” with gold Toledo volleyball headbands being given out. Tickets are just two dollars for anyone wearing gold as well.
– For Saturday’s match against Youngstown State tickets are just two dollars for anyone who presents a ticket to Saturday night’s football game against Tulsa. Also, in accordance with UT Family Weekend, anyone with signed up will receive a voucher for free admission to the match.
Friday, Sept. 15 (12:00 p.m.): Tennessee Tech vs. Toledo | Live Stats | Live Stream
Friday, Sept. 15 (7:00 p.m.): New Mexico vs. Toledo | Live Stats | Live Stream
Saturday, Sept. 16 (3:00 p.m.) Youngstown State vs. Toledo | Live Stats | Live Stream
Last Time Out
Playing in Huntington, W. Va. at the Thunder Invite, the Rockets came home with a record of 1-2. The win came over tournament-host Marshall in thrilling fashion: trialing 2-0 heading into the third set, Toledo won the next three to beat the Thundering Herd 3-2. The Rockets’ losses came to a pair of really good teams: an undefeated Maryland squad and Virginia Tech, which owns a record of 6-3.
Junior libero Maurissa Leonard was named to the all-tournament team and led UT with 72 digs over the weekend with an average of 5.14 per set. In the comeback five-set victory against Marshall, Leonard recorded a career-high 40 digs.
Overall at the Thunder Invite, the Rockets had four players with at least 20 kills with senior Saige Thomas leading the way with 43 kills (3.07 k/s). Senior Rachel Vidourek notched 31 kills with a team-high attack percentage of .338. UT also received stellar play from freshman Caleigh Barhorst who recorded seven service aces along with 18 kills and 24 digs. Fellow freshman Chloee Kleespies also enjoyed a fantastic tournament with 21 kills while hitting .237. Kleespies was also second on the team over the weekend with 11 blocks.
By the Numbers
Here are some notable numbers for Toledo:
- The Rockets have served up 54 aces this year, second-most in the MAC; freshman defensive specialistRhyen Neal leads the team with 14, fifth-most in the MAC.
- Leonard is third in the conference with 181 digs, averaging 4.76 per set. Her 40 digs against Marshall were the most by anyone in the MAC this season and tied for third-most by anyone in the country this year.
- Vidourek’s .519 attack percentage against Virginia Tech last weekend was the highest by a Rocket this season.
- Two Rockets have at least 30 total blocks: Vidourek (34) and senior Annie Beasley (30).
Scouting the Competition
New Mexico: The Lobos come into the weekend with a record of 6-3, having just went 2-1 at its own tournament last weekend. All three UNM losses have come in three-set sweeps: Iowa State, North Dakota, and Northern Colorado being the culprits. Included in their six wins are triumphs over MAC foe Kent State and Blue/Gold Invitational invitee Youngstown State.
Last weekend at the Lobo Classic, sophomore Lauren Twitty was named tournament MVP, posting a team-best 40 kills in addition to her 32 digs. This season she has 99 kills (3.54/set) and a team-high 113.5 points. Senior Ashley Kelsey is the team leader with 137 digs and she was named the tournament’s Outstanding Libero. Eight of the Lobos’ nine matches this season have ended in three sets.
Tennessee Tech: TTU (2-7) started the year off well, winning its first two matches, but it has lost its last seven, including all three at the Holiday Inn Invitational last weekend hosted by Wright State. The pair of season-opening victories came against N.C. Central and The Citadel.
Junior Shealene Little was the team’s lone all-tournament selection last weekend, her second-such honor this year. She totaled 32 kills and 25 digs, all while hitting .228 over the three matches. Her match-high was .350 against West Virginia. Little is the team leader with 96 kills (3.1/set), sophomore Rachel Thomas leads the Golden Eagles with 24 (.77/set) blocks, and senior Allison Morrett is tops on the team with 121 (3.90/set) digs.
Youngstown State: The Penguins enter this weekend with a record of 5-6, including a 1-6 mark since winning their first four games of the season. They hosted the Courtyard Marriott-Canfield Penguin Invitation last week, beating Saint Francis (Pa.) in between losses to Fort Wayne and Akron. The other four wins came against Winthrop, Morehead State, Delaware State, and Robert Morris.
The team’s 68 service aces are 15th– most in the NCAA and senior Sam Brown leads the team with 19. Junior Sarah Varcolla has the most kills on the squad (111, 2.71 per set) and two Penguins have over 200 assists: senior Heather Splinter (205, 5.0/set) and freshman Libbie Darling (208, 5.08/set). Junior Sarah Varcolla (41) is the team leader in blocks, ranking fourth in the Horizon League in that category.
Leonard Named MAC West Player of the Week
After a fantastic weekend during the BG/UT Invitational, the junior libero was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time in her career. For the season, Leonard is averaging 4.54 digs per set, which is the most on the Rockets and fourth-most in the MAC.
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