The 2025 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Volleyball Tournament kicked off Friday evening at Bowling Green’s Stroh Center, with the fourth-seeded Toledo Rockets (21-10, 11-7 MAC) defeating the fifth-seeded Miami Redhawks (16-15, 10-8 MAC) 3-2.
Set 1: 25-21 RedHawks
Miami came out swinging in the first set, attacking at a 0.345 mark compared to Toledo’s 0.216. One of the biggest difference makers was the error margin, with the Rockets having 4 more errors than the RedHawks, a 7-3 margin that gave Miami the win when compounded with hitting percentage.
Set 2: 25-14 Rockets
The Miami offense was stifled in the second set, only hitting at a 0.053 mark, and registering just 9 kills to Toledo’s 14. The set was far and away the most lopsided, and the result was Toledo winning the set by 11 to even up the match at one set apiece.
Set 3 25-19 RedHawks
Toledo’s equalizing set in the second didn’t rattle the RedHawks, who proceeded to put up 18 kills, the highest team total in a single set for the whole match.
Set 4: 25-23 Rockets
The fourth set puzzled. As the Rockets faced elimination, they managed to edge out a two-point victory despite being less efficient on offense during the set. The gap of Toledo’s 0.106 to Miami’s 0.178 marked the only set of the match in which the less efficient team offensively was able to come out with the victory. The Rockets’ fourth set win set up a fifth and final set for the opening match of the tournament.
Set 5: 15-11 Rockets
Despite trailing early 6-2, the Rockets rattled off 3 straight points and eventually evened the score at 7-7. This would prove enough as the Rockets did not look back and coasted to their 15-11 victory, punching their ticket to the semifinals round.
Notable stats:
Freshman Jessica Costlow’s 22 kills paced not only the Rockets, but also tied for the set high with Miami’s Molly Creech.
The win marks the second trip to the semifinals in three years for the Rockets, with their most recent appearance coming in 2023.
The Rockets will look to punch their ticket to the MAC Tournament Championship Match on Saturday when they take on the top-seeded Ball State Cardinals (21-9, 17-1 MAC). Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Andrew Smith will have the call on Falcon Radio, with pregame starting at 3:45 p.m.
