Akron Volleyball Claims Five-Set Thriller Over Toledo

Saturday, October 6

Akron, OH

7 PM

University of Akron

10-7, 2-4MAC

Toledo

7-10, 2-4MAC

Toledo

Akron

Akron Volleyball Claims Five-Set Thriller Over Toledo

October 06 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

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BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team defeated Toledo in Mid-American Conference action, 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-11) on Saturday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips improved to 10-7 overall and 2-4 in MAC play, while Toledo fell to 7-10, 2-4 MAC.

Senior Kayla Gwozdz (Temperance, Mich.) paced the offense with 14 kills. Sophomore Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio) and junior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio) added 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Sophomore Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) posted a double-double on 43 set assists and 12 digs. Richardson and sophomore Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) recorded two service aces apiece for the Zips.

Sharrits led the back-row defense with 26 digs, while Richardson led at the net with a career high of six total blocks.

The Zips recorded a team hitting percentage of .222 on the night, compared to Toledo at .184.

The opening set sat tied at 19-all after a series of short runs by each team. Kills by Richardson and Weigand in addition to a Toledo ball handling error would set Akron ahead, 22-19. Kills from Gwozdz and Fulmer capped off a 25-22 win for the Zips in the opening set.

Toledo gained an early 5-1 lead early into the second. A 6-1 run would give the Zips an 8-6 edge over the Rockets. The teams would trade leads until the score remained tied at 17-17. Seven unanswered points would drive Toledo to a 25-18 win in the second set.

An early seven-point run gave Toledo an 11-5 lead in the third set. The Zips still trailed at 24-14 when they went on late 6-0 run, unfortunately it wasn't enough as Toledo took set two, 25-20.

A kill from Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.) and two by Richardson added to an early 6-1 lead by the Zips to begin the fourth set. The Rockets didn't see a lead for the remainder of the set, as Akron took the fourth, 25-15. Fulmer recorded four kills in the fourth set, while Richardson and Gwozdz tallied three apiece.

A Weigand service ace and kills from Fulmer and Gwozdz helped set the Zips on an early 5-1 lead. Toledo wasn't going down without a fight as they scored seven of the next eight points to pull ahead 8-6. Akron scored nine of the final 12 points with a kill by Richardson sealing the 15-11 win in the final set.

Akron returns to action on the road next week at Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. (EST) and at Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.