Facing a nine-point deficit in the fourth set, the Toledo women’s volleyball team fought back to win the set and capture a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 28-26) over Western Michigan to earn its first-ever Mid-American Conference Championship at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green on Sunday.
The championship comes in the 45th season of Toledo sponsoring women’s volleyball as a varsity sport and in Brian Wright’s first season as the Rockets’ head coach.
Facing a nine-point deficit in the fourth set, the women’s volleyball team fought back to win the set and capture a 3-1 victory over Western Michigan to earn its first-ever MAC Championship at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green on Sunday.
“The whole team has been a team worth supporting. Our fans came out – we almost doubled attendance this year – because of who they are as people, not because we had these wins or we had this history yet,” Wright said. “I always felt we were the team of the present, the team of the future. I knew what we had in the gym. I knew what we could do. But to watch a group do it in the resilient way we just did three straight nights …
“We were probably losing more than we were winning all three matches. But when our backs were against the wall, our play went up,” he added. “The only way that can happen is if you work consistently and you work hard and you stay aggressive, but also if you love each other. And this group does all those things … The fact that we were down nine or whatever we were in the fourth set just doesn’t surprise me anymore. It’s just what this group does.”
Freshman Jessica Costlow led the Rockets’ offense, tallying 21 kills and 22 digs for her eighth double-double of the season and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
“It was just an unreal feeling, being in the moment that we had worked for all year and everything we were working towards,” Costlow said about how she felt at the end of the match. “All the small things. It was just unreal and awesome to be in that moment.”
Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp poured in 16 terminations, while sophomore libero Grace Freiberger tied her season-high with 29 digs to go along with a team-best three service aces. Freiberger becomes Toledo’s all-time single season digs leader with 621 during the 2025 campaign. Senior setter Kelsey Smith orchestrated the offense, totaling 38 assists and 20 digs for her 17th double-double of the season.
“Honestly, it didn’t feel real at all,” Smith said about her thoughts during the final points of the fourth set. “In the last couple of points I was looking up at the crowd and a feeling of gratitude came over me. I’m just so grateful to be part of such a great program. We all love each other so much. I just felt so grateful to be there in that moment. I’m just so happy with how it ended and how hard we fought. Emotions, I try to keep them cool during the game. I think I did a good job at that. But inside I was just so grateful. I’m just so happy to be here with this team.”
Freiberger and Smith joined Costlow on the all-tournament team.
Toledo (22-10) will find out its destination in the NCAA Tournament Sunday, Nov. 30.
