The Rockets finish the season with a 23-11 record, posting the second-most wins in program history .(1983 – 27 matches)

Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp led the Toledo offense with 11 kills, including five in the first set, for her 19th match this season in double-figures. Redshirt junior Sophie Catalano poured in seven terminations while redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn chipped in six kills of her own.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith tallied 26 assists and a team-high nine digs. Sophomore Grace Freiberger and senior Macy Medors each totaled six digs.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright

“We’ve had a pretty special season in the past 11-and-a-half months that I’ve been at Toledo. I am so proud of this team and how they played tonight’s match. This team accomplished many great things this season, from leading the MAC in attendance, to winning their first MAC Tournament championship and playing in their first NCAA Tournament match. I want the team to understand that they are enough and capable to compete with the best teams and programs in this country.”

Senior Anna Alford

(on the 2025 season)

“This group has made Toledo history and it’s been such a great season. We’ve been working so hard for the past 11-and-a-half months and we just wanted a chance to showcase our abilities on the court and the love that this team has for one another.”

Senior Macy Medors

(on the future of the Toledo volleyball program)

“Our program is built on being a family and there is a great atmosphere amongst everyone involved. The younger players will continue that tradition and help Toledo volleyball continue to grow to new heights.”

Key Moments

• Olivia Heitkamp started the match with a kill as the Rockets and Hoosiers traded points early in the first set. Heitkamp’s fifth kill of the set kept it even, 11-11, before two quick points from Indiana gave the Hoosiers a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. A block from Anna Alford and Heitkamp kept UT within four, 22-18, but a quick 3-0 run for the Hoosiers gave them the set win.
• Both sides went back-and-forth to begin the second set before Indiana jumped out to a 7-4 lead. A solo block from Jessica Costlow sent the Rockets on a 3-0 run to even the frame, 9-9. The Hoosiers responded with an 8-2 run of their own to take a seven-point advantage, 19-12. Kills from Heitkamp and Sophie Catalano put UT within five, 19-14, but Indiana took the set win with four-straight points.
• Catalano fired off a kill to give Toledo a lead in the third set, 4-3. A quick 3-0 surge by the Rockets, highlighted by a kill from Sierra Pertzborn and Catalano, kept Toledo ahead, 7-5. Two service aces and two kills from the Hoosiers put IU in front, 12-9, before Heitkamp and Catalano each buried terminations to even the frame, 13-13. Indiana went on a 3-0 run to retake the lead, 17-14. Catalano and Pertzborn combined for a second block to stay within three, 19-16, but the Hoosiers ended the match on a 6-1 run to take the win.

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ERIE, Pa. – Indiana (PA) swept Fairmont St. 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 on Thursday at Highmark Events Center in Erie, Pa., in a neutral non-conference matchup.

Indiana (PA) was led by Charlotte Potvin, who posted 13 kills on a team-high .455 hitting percentage, adding four aces and 17.5 points in the three-set win. Delaney Concannon contributed 16 kills with 22 digs, while setter Ellie Rauch dished 45 assists and recorded two service aces.

Jessica Neiman added 14 kills on .464 hitting, while libero Lexi McLanahan finished with 15 digs. Rylee Brown anchored the front row with one solo block and two block assists, totaling three blocks and 2.0 points.

Indiana (PA) hit .268 for the match with 49 kills and 59 digs.

Fairmont St. saw 33 kills from a balanced attack and 49 digs defensively. Outside hitter Joey Borelle recorded 13 kills and seven digs, while Josie Nobbe totaled 11 digs and four kills. Chloe McDaniel added eight kills and four block assists.

The match featured 14 ties and nine lead changes in the opening set before Indiana pulled away late, scoring two straight points from the service line to close it out.

Indiana (PA) improved to 21-8 on the season, while Fairmont St. fell to 23-11.

• Top-seeded Kentucky volleyball defeated Wofford in three sets to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
• Brooklyn DeLeye led Kentucky with 14 kills during the first-round victory.
• Kentucky will now face No. 8 seed UCLA for a spot in the Sweet 16.

LEXINGTON — Top-seeded Kentucky volleyball defeated Wofford in three sets Thursday night at Historic Memorial Coliseum to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Brooklyn DeLeye led the Wildcats with 14 kills.

“This team especially, our depth, is so strong, and I think that just helps in practice,” DeLeye said after the match. “We’re pushing one another. No spot is guaranteed, and I think that’s truly helped us get to this No. 1 seed.”

UK will battle No. 8 seed UCLA Friday at 7 p.m. for a spot in the Sweet 16. UCLA defeated Georgia Tech in five sets Thursday night. A familiar face in former Louisville and current UCLA middle blocker Phekran Kong will sit across the net.

OMAHA, Neb. — Lily Dykstra, Cassidy Hartman and Reese Booth all posted double-double performances for the UNI volleyball team on Thursday as the Panthers rallied from down two sets to none to stun the Utah Utes in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Northern Iowa was unblocked by an 18-4 margin and struggled early out of system in the first two frames, but roared back with a gritty third set win, a fourth set victory thanks to a strong start and a wire-to-wire win in the winner-take-all fifth. The reverse sweep marks the first time UNI has rallied from down 2-0 in an NCAA Tournament match to advance since 2002 against Missouri.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Utah set an early tone with a 6-0 scoring run in the opening frame with a service ace to open the match. The Panthers would struggle offensively with seven attack errors and seven kills on .000 hitting as the Utes tallied a .448 hitting clip with 14 terminations and four blocks en route to a 25-15 win over UNI. Hartman and Isabelle Elliott would record two kills each in the frame.

Northern Iowa would put up a strong fight in the second stanza with 12 kills on .122 hitting. The Panthers used a 4-0 run to tie the set up at 10-10 before the Utes took the lead back with a 3-0 run of its own. UNI would even the score at 18-18 with a 4-0 run on a kill by Molly Shafer, back-to-back aces and a rare termination from Jadyn Petersen, but the Utes, hitting .343 with 12 kills, pulled away for a 25-21 lead and a two-set lead in the match. Dykstra led the Panthers with five kills in the set, with Hartman tallying three terminations.

The Panthers battled the Utes in another tight set in the third frame featuring ten ties and four lead changes. Booth dished out a service ace with Maryn Bixby blocking to give UNI a 9-7 lead as Utah grabbed and held a narrow lead for much of the frame. Northern Iowa would fight back however, led by eight kills from Dykstra and four from Hartman to recapture the lead, survive bonus ball and win the third set, 26-24 on 19 team terminations and .286 hitting.

UNI carried its momentum into set four with a 6-0 scoring run and would lead from start to finish with Dykstra adding an ace for a 9-1 advantage. Utah would chip away at the Panthers’ lead, but a .317 hitting clip by UNI and 19 more team terminations would help push the Panthers across the line, led by eight additional kills from Dykstra and five for Hartman.

In set five, the Panthers continued their momentum with a 5-1 scoring run to begin the decisive frame before Utah closed the gap. Hitting .389 with nine terminations, UNI never relinquished the lead and closed on a 3-0 run, including an ace from Sydney Golden to set up match point with Hartman delivering the winning point for a 15-10 win and the come-from-behind match victory.

Dykstra led the Panthers with career-highs in kills (25) and digs (14), with Hartman notching 19 kills and 11 digs, as Shafer, Bixby and Elliott each tallied six terminations. Booth posted a 32 assist, 11 digs double-double, while Golden notched 18 assists. On defense, Petersen led UNI with 16 digs, as Bixby posted three of the Panthers’ four total blocks on the night.

“I am so proud of this crew,” said UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen. We were a little unsure with this match with so many who haven’t experienced an NCAA Tournament match before. It didn’t look pretty in those first two sets but I felt we never gave up, kept fighting and finding ways to score. They definitely put pressure on us and it was a battle and a fun NCAA Tournament match!”

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 3-1 all-time against Utah in the first NCAA Tournament matchup between the Panthers and Utes.
• Northern Iowa is now 18-26 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches. Thursday’s win marks the first time the Panthers have won matches in the tournament in consecutive seasons since 2002 and 2003. The win was also UNI’s first over a Big 12 Conference opponent since 2012 (Kansas State).
• The Panthers extended their winning streak on the season to 22 matches, the eighth-longest streak in program history.
• UNI is now 5-5 in five-set matches in the NCAA Tournament with victories in 1999 (Ball State), 2001 (Minnesota), 2002 (Missouri) and 2003 (UC Santa Barbara).
• Lily Dykstra recorded her fourth 20+ kill match of the year on Thursday (Southern Illinois, Drake, UIC). She has also posted at least eight kills in 29 of 31 matches this season, as well as 18 matches with ten or more terminations and her second career double-double, both coming this year.
• Cassidy Hartman notched her 26th match this year with ten-plus terminations with her 14th double-double of the season.
• Reese Booth’s double-double was her ninth of the 2025 season.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will face off against the winner of No. 11 and third-seeded Creighton and Northern Colorado on Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country).

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.

“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”

 

Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.

 

Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.

 “We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika. 

“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.

“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.

 

Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.

 

The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.

 

Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.

 

Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.