Press Release courtesy of Toledo Athletics
The Toledo volleyball team is set to host Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan this weekend in its final home matches of the season. The Rockets and Eagles will face off on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. and the battle with the Chippewas will be on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 5:00 p.m.
The Central Michigan match will be the last home appearance for Toledo’s five seniors. Lauren Bakaitis, Annie Beasley, Brianna Foster, Saige Thomas, and Rachel Vidourek will all be playing their final match at Savage Arena, so please stick around after the match on Saturday to help us congratulate these five Rockets on outstanding careers.
Friday, Oct. 27 (7:00 p.m.): Toledo vs. Eastern Michigan | Live Stats | Live Stream
Saturday, Oct. 28 (5:00 p.m.) Toledo vs. Central Michigan | Live Stats | Live Stream
Last Time Out
Toledo hosted Miami and Bowling Green last weekend, the two teams atop the MAC standings. The Rockets fell to the RedHawks, 3-0, and to the Falcons, 3-1.
Leading the way for UT was Maurissa Leonard, who once again had a strong showing on the defensive end. The junior had 26 digs against Miami and 36 against Bowling Green, good for a weekend average of 8.86 digs per set. Offensively, Annie Beasley hit .341 and averaged 2.57 kills per set, while Rachel Vidourek averaged 2.29 kills per set.Carly Townsend was a huge part of the Toledo attack, averaging 8.57 assists per set.
Leonard Named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Maurissa Leonard was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season on Oct. 23. The Oregon, Ohio native has been the defensive leader all year long for the Rockets and she had another pair of terrific performances last weekend. Hosting the MAC’s top two teams, Miami and Bowling Green, Leonard averaged a whopping 8.86 digs per set and tallied 62 total digs, both of which were season highs for a conference weekend. The junior has recorded at least 20 digs in six of her last seven matches.
By the Numbers
Here are some notable numbers for Toledo:
- After posting 62 digs last weekend, Leonard now has 491 on the season, 79 away from breaking the school’s all-time single-season record that she set in 2016.
- Leonard now has 1,568 digs in her career, second-most all-time in school history. The record is 1,736 set by Lora Sarich (2003-06).
- With five kills this weekend, Saige Thomas will become the 10th player in program history with 1,000 career kills. She leads the Rockets with 2.72 kills per set this season.
- Vidourek is hitting .333 in conference matches, fourth-best in the league. Leonard’s 6.31 digs/set in MAC play are second-most in the league.
- Earlier this season when the Rockets faced CMU and EMU, Vidourek hit .488 for the weekend and averaged 3.00 kills per set, while Chloee Kleespies averaged 3.88 kills per set.
- Since returning to the starting lineup on Sept. 28, Carly Townsend has averaged 9.6 assists per set.
Scouting the Competition
Eastern Michigan: Eastern Michigan enters the weekend 11-15 and 3-7 in conference play. EMU leads the league in blocks at 2.49 per set and has two players averaging more than 1.00 block per set: Samantha Falco (1.14) and Kelly Ferguson (1.08). Falco and Ferguson rank second and third in the MAC, respectively, in that category. Jordan Smith (2.82 kills/set) and Franki Strefling (2.65 kills/set) have been EMU’s leaders on offense while, in addition to Falco and Ferguson, Alyssa LaFace and her 4.77 digs per set have paced the defense.
Eastern Michigan split its two matches last weekend against Akron and Buffalo, beating the Zips on Friday before losing to the Bulls on Saturday. The Eagles won the previous meeting this season over the Rockets, 3-0, in Ypsilanti.
Central Michigan: Central Michigan comes into the weekend with a record of 11-11 overall and 3-7 in MAC play. CMU’s Jordan Bueter is the league leader in kills per set, averaging 4.13. Bueter is also the team leader in service aces, averaging 0.41 per set. Defensively, Megan Kern is the team leader with 3.70 digs per set with Bueter not far behind at 2.92 digs/set. Grace Butler, the team’s main setter, is averaging 10.41 assists per set, where she ranks fourth in the MAC.
The Chippewas also hosted Akron and Buffalo last weekend and, just like Eastern Michigan, they defeated the Zips and fell to the Bulls. Central Michigan won the previous meeting between these two teams back in September, 3-2, in Mount Pleasant.
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