Women's Volleyball

Zips, Rockets, Cardinals Sweep Friday Night Matchups

Friday, Nov. 6 Volleyball Results
Toledo 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Akron 3, Central Michigan 0
Ball State 3, Buffalo 0
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Toledo | Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's volleyball team swept Eastern Michigan 3-0 (25-17, 25-6, 25-22) on Friday night at Savage Arena.

The win moves Toledo to 20-4 (12-2 MAC) on the season. This marks the first time in program history that the Rockets have won 20-plus matches in back-to-back seasons. Brian Wright becomes the first head coach in Toledo volleyball history to lead the team to two consecutive 20-win seasons. The 12 Mid-American Conference wins also tie the most league victories in program history, a mark set by the 2013 squad.

Ava Siefke led the Rockets' offense with 13 kills on the night, including her 1,000th career termination. Kayla Ozanich poured in seven kills on a .500 clip to go along with a team-best seven blocks, while Sierra Pertzborn had six kills and five blocks.

Jessica Costlow led the squad with 17 digs and a career-best five service aces. Grace Freiberger had 15 digs for her 24th consecutive match with double-digit digs.

Maddy Bach had 19 assists to go along with six digs while Janelle Green poured in 11 helpers and five digs.

The Toledo defense held Eastern Michigan to a .009 hitting percentage, the lowest mark of a Rockets opponent this season. This is the seventh time this season that UT's opponent has tallied a hitting percentage of .100 or lower.

Up Next: Toledo returns to action on Friday, Nov. 13 against Central Michigan. First serve from Mt. Pleasant, Mich. is set for 6:30 p.m.

Akron | Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team delivered a dominant performance Friday night, sweeping Central Michigan 3-0 in Mid-American Conference action at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips controlled the match from the opening serve, earning set victories of 25-7, 25-17 and 25-19.

Akron (10-15, 5-8 MAC) opened the match with a commanding 25-7 first-set victory and maintained its momentum throughout the contest. The Zips finished with 43 kills and a .374 hitting percentage while limiting Central Michigan (0-26, 0-13 MAC) to 26 kills and a .102 hitting percentage. The match was played in front of 202 fans.

GAME NOTES
  • Gash leads the attack: Delaney Gash paced Akron with 11 kills, adding two service aces and four digs. She finished with a .308 hitting percentage and a match-high 14 points.
  • Aeschliman delivers efficiently: Jordyn Aeschliman recorded nine kills on 13 attacks with just two errors, hitting .538. She also added a block assist and finished with 9.5 points.
  • Wilson provides offensive support: Lauren Wilson contributed nine kills while hitting .350 and added two block assists.
  • Christensen and Evans direct the offense: Clara Christensen led the Zips with 15 assists, while Payton Evans added 12 assists.
  • Del Real anchors the defense: Vanessa Del Real led Akron with 12 digs and contributed three assists and three service aces.
  • Chausse makes an impact at the service line: Reilly Chausse recorded three service aces and seven digs.
BY THE NUMBERS
  • Akron finished with 43 kills and a .374 hitting percentage, compared with Central Michigan's 26 kills and .102 hitting percentage.
  • The Zips recorded 10 service aces and four total blocks.
  • Akron totaled 45 digs, led by Del Real's 12.
  • The Zips hit .429 in the opening set, .379 in the second and .324 in the third.
  • Gash, Aeschliman and Wilson combined for 29 kills while hitting a collective .382.
  • Akron completed the sweep in 69 minutes.
UP NEXT: Akron continues its home series against Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 7, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Ball State | Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Ball State women's volleyball team opened a crucial Mid-American Conference weekend with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) sweep of Buffalo Friday evening at Broadview Arena.

With the win, the Cardinals improve to 17-7 (8-5 MAC) and could lock up a berth in the MAC Volleyball Championship with another victory over the Bulls (14-10; 6-7 MAC) tomorrow.

Junior outside Ava Smith once again paced the Ball State offense, blasting 12 kills and hitting .385 (12-2-26). Over the last three matches, Smith has connected for 47 kills and a 3.92 kills-per-set average. The effort includes a career-best 20 in last Friday's match versus Bowling Green.

Junior outside Audrey Geer was right behind, adding nine kills and eight digs, while senior middle Camryn Wise and junior opposite Tiffany Snook connected for seven kills apiece.

Overall, the offense connected for a .227 (42-17-110) rate of success with senior setter Lindsey Green dishing out a match-high 22 assists and freshman setter Lucy McCollum adding 12.

On the defensive front, junior libero Sophie Ledbetter paced the Ball State backcourt with 10 digs, while Green added eight and McCollum was credited with 10. The effort, along with four solo blocks, helped limit the Buffalo attack to a .189 (37-16-111) rate of success.

The Ball State women's volleyball team closes its weekend series versus Buffalo with a 4 p.m. first serve back at Broadview Arena.