Women's Volleyball

Rockets Reverse Sweep Falcons to Clinch Tournament Ticket

Tuesday, Nov. 3 Volleyball Results
Western Michigan 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Ohio 3, Kent State 0
Toledo 3, Bowling Green 2
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Western Michigan | Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. – Fueled by a season-high 14 blocks, the Western Michigan volleyball team put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season in a straight-set victory (25-14, 25-22, 25-15) at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday evening.     
  
Gabby Weihe led the defensive effort up front with a career-high 10 block assists, while Annalise Patchett chipped in five. Four Broncos recorded eight or more digs, paced by Izzy Swiercz with 11. Elana Erickson chipped in 10 digs, Carley Piercefield collected nine and Leah Richmond had eight. Western Michigan's blocking and digging combined to hold EMU to a -.018 team hitting percentage, the first time the Brown and Gold have kept an opponent below a .000 hitting percentage in a match since 2021.
 
Swiercz paced WMU on the offensive end with 11 kills, while Patchett recorded nine and Cassidy Pratley totaled eight. Richmond filled up the stats sheet with 36 assists, eight digs, five kills and four blocks.

Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Saturday for Senior Day against Bowling Green. First serve is slated for 4 pm. 


Ohio | Box Score
KENT, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (14-10, 7-6 MAC) swept Kent State (11-13, 5-8 MAC) 3-0 in a road matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Ohio finished with 51 kills, four aces, three blocks, 46 assists and 39 digs. Kent State finished with 33 kills, four aces, five blocks, 33 assists and 31 digs. The Bobcats recorded a .398 team hitting percentage while holding the Golden Flashes to a .189 team percentage.

Ohio's top offensive performer was freshman Rose Mahin. Mahin recorded a team-best .500 percentage with a team-high 17 kills and two errors on 30 total attacks. Sophomore Bailey Blair also had a notable night with 10 kills and 11 points.

Freshman Rowan Kelly led the Bobcats to a .398 percentage with a team-high 40 assists.

Senior Gentry Brown led the team in digs with 15 total in addition to eight kills and four assists. Junior Darbi Ricketts and Mahin finished with seven digs each. Ricketts also recorded a team-high two aces.

Senior Olivia Gardner led Ohio at the net with a team-high two blocks.

The Bobcats will be back in action when they host their first Battle of the Bricks matchup against Miami on Sunday, Nov. 8. First serve is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN+.


Toledo | Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team rattled off a 3-2 reverse sweep (21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-8) over rival Bowling Green in the Battle of I-75 presented by Fremont Federal Credit Union on Tuesday night in Bowling Green, Ohio. The win marks Toledo's first victory at the Stroh Center over the Falcons since a 3-2 win on Oct. 6, 2023.

The victory officially clinches the Rockets' (19-4, 11-2 MAC) spot in the 2026 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament, establishing a program-record sixth-straight season that UT will compete in the league tournament. The 11 conference victories is one shy of a program-record most MAC wins in a single season set by the 2013 squad.

With the win over the Falcons, Toledo moves into sole possession of first place in the league standings.

Kayla Ozanich led the offense with 13 kills and a career-best 10 blocks, recording her first career double-double. Lilly Merk poured in 11 kills, and Ava Siefke added in nine kills.

Grace Freiberger had a team-best 24 digs, recording her second-consecutive match with 20-plus digs, and adding in two service aces. Jessica Costlow chipped in 17 digs, while Avery Adamski tied her season-best with 17 digs.

Setter Maddy Bach dished out a team-high 23 assists to go with 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Janelle Green recorded 18 assists and 13 digs for her ninth double-double this season.

The Rockets rattled off 15 total blocks throughout the evening, the most in a single match this season and the fifth time this year UT has registered a double-figure block total.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
"I am unbelievably proud of this team's fight. They believe in each other, are willing to do hard things, show up every single day and play with so much courage. Down 2-0 against a rival on their home court in front of a big crowd while tied at the top of the MAC standings is all the criteria to make that one of the biggest regular season wins in program history! Thank you to all of our fans who showed up and were loud!"

Up Next: Toledo will return to Savage Arena to host Eastern Michigan on Friday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. Following the match, the Rockets will celebrate the careers of Sophie Catalano, Gabbi LeBlanc, Brooke Naniseni and Caylee Sharkey.