Women’s volleyball (9-9, 2-4 MAC) fell to Toledo (14-4, 5-1 MAC) 0-3, Friday night and Ball State (15-3, 5-1 MAC) 2-3, Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena. The Bulls are currently on a four-game losing streak following the back-to-back losses.
UB struggled to control the Rockets Friday night, as Toledo won 25-21, 25-12, 25-15 in three sets.
The Bulls managed to keep the contest close during the first set but Toledo broke an 18-18 deadlock at the end of the match to take an early lead. The Rockets never looked back and secured the remaining sets comfortably.
On Saturday afternoon, the Bulls returned to Alumni Arena to face the Cardinals. The match was a tense thriller that ended with a 2-3 loss for the Bulls. The Cards were able to take the match in five sets, 25-15, 25-27, 17-25, 25-21, 16-14.
After losing the first set by a wide margin, the Bulls came out fighting in the second set. The Cardinals held a 20-17 lead in the second set before the Bulls scored three points to tie the match. UB defended two set points before junior middle blocker Courtney Okwara delivered a kill to give the Bulls the lead, and a kill from freshman outside hitter Maria Futey gave UB the set.
With the match tied at two, the Cardinals took an 8-5 lead at the beginning of the fifth set. The Bulls responded almost immediately by scoring four straight points, which resulted in a 9-8 lead. UB had the win within reach but the Cardinals scored the final three points to win the set, 16-14, and steal the 3-2 win.
The Bulls will return to Alumni Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 13 to face the Akron Zips (8-10, 2-4 MAC) at 6 p.m.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
