TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women’s volleyball offense fired on all cylinders Saturday as the Rockets tallied 3-0 sweeps over Binghamton (25-12, 25-22, 25-15) and Oakland (25-18, 25-23, 25-14) to close out the Rocket Invitational Presented by Delta Hotels by Marriott. This marks the third-straight season that Toledo has started the year with a 3-0 record.

Against Binghamton, the Rockets (3-0) tallied a .325 hitting percentage, including a .469 clip in the first set. Caylee Sharkey had a team-high 11 kills while Sophie Catalano poured in 10 terminations. Junior middle blocker Lilly Merk made her Toledo debut as she chipped in seven terminations on a .583 clip and added three blocks.

Maddy Bach led the team with 23 assists while Janelle Green totaled 10 helpers. Grace Freiberger had a team-high 13 digs, six assists and two service aces while Meg Jarrett dished out 10 digs in her Rocket debut.

In the nightcap against Oakland, Toledo had a .430 hitting percentage and is the first time the Rockets had a clip over .400 since a 3-0 win over Mercyhurst in September 2025. Ava Siefke had a team-high 14 kills while Catalano fired off 12 terminations on a career-high .800 clip.

Jessica Costlow ended the match with eight kills on a .400 clip, eight digs and three assists. Green had a career-high 18 assists while Freiberger tallied 10 digs and two service aces.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright

“I was super impressed with how balanced our offense was throughout the weekend. Three matches and three different people leading us in kills is great to see. Overall, our defense functioned at a high level, and I like the progress we made from match to match. Our bench energy was incredible across all three matches at all times. I absolutely love the way this team supports each other.”

Key Moments vs. Binghamton


A kill from Lily Merk and an ace from Janelle Green gave Toledo an early 6-2 lead in the first set. A 5-0 run, highlighted by an ace from Jessica Costlow and a termination from Caylee Sharkey, extended the Rockets’ lead, 17-7. Sophie Catalano put UT at set point with a kill, 24-11, and Brooke Naniseni secured the set victory with her first kill of the match.
Binghamton used back-to-back service aces to take an early 3-0 lead in the second set. The Bearcats extended their lead to three, 12-9, before UT got within one on two straight kills from Catalano. Kayla Ozanich evened the set with a termination, 15-15, before UT strung together a 6-1 run to take the lead, 21-16. Sharkey put the Rockets at set point, 24-18, before a Binghamton error gave Toledo the two set lead in the match.
After trading points, Toledo took a 10-6 lead with a kill from Merk. A solo block from Dyas and a kill from Catalano kept UT in front, 14-9. Binghamton got within five, 17-12, but UT was able to extend their lead with kills from Sharkey and an ace from Grace Freiberger. Maddy Bach fired off a service ace to reach match point, 24-15, before Naniseni tallied the match-winning kill.

Key Moments vs. Oakland


A kill from Jessica Costlow put Toledo in front, 10-6, and back-to-back kills from Siefke kept the Rockets ahead. A 6-1 run extended UT’s lead, 22-14, before Costlow helped Toledo reach set point, 24-16, and a Catalano termination gave UT the victory.
Oakland took a slight 7-5 lead in the second set, but Costlow fired off a kill to even the contest, 8-8. After back-and-forth action, Toledo used a 5-1 lead to put themselves back in front, 22-18, before a string of Oakland errors put the Rockets at set point. Costlow hammered home a kill to put Toledo ahead by two sets.
An ace from Green and a Catalano kill gave Toledo an early advantage in the third set, 9-6. Merk and Catalano combined for a block to extend UT’s lead, 18-13, before pushing the lead to 11 (24-13) with a kill from Catalano. Freiberger sent off her second ace of the night to bring sweep the first tournament of the season.  

Up Next
Toledo hosts Purdue Fort Wayne at Savage Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 1. First serve is set for 6 p.m.