CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A balanced outing by
the MIT women’s volleyball team helped power it to a 25-11,
25-16, 25-8 victory over Clark University in a quarterfinal match
of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic
Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Tournament. The top-seeded
Engineers will host the remainder of the NEWMAC Tournament with
semifinal action beginning on Friday, Nov. 6. MIT will face No. 4
U.S. Coast Guard Academy in the first semifinal match at 5:00 p.m.,
with No. 2 Wellesley College and No. 3 Springfield College facing
off at 7:30 p.m. The showdown for the conference crown will start
at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Alex May notched nine kills, seven digs and four blocks as Barden
Cleeland tallied seven digs, five kills, four blocks, and four aces
for MIT (26-7). Cecily Joujon-Roche posted five kills, four aces,
and three blocks while Jenny Li registered nine kills. Alyssa
Rothman compiled 18 assists, five digs, and two aces as Cathy
Melnikow racked up nine assists, four aces, and four digs. Kelly
Schulte contributed three kills and two blocks while Natasha Jensen
added six digs.
Amira Tranchell paced the No. 8-seeded Cougars (8-17) with five
kills. Emily Sullivan dished out eight assists as Emily Visone
collected a match-high 15 digs.
The Engineers opened the match with 11 unanswered points, with
Joujon-Roche recording all three of her aces during the run. Clark
picked up four out of the next six points to make the score 13-4 in
favor of the hosts. MIT rattled off five consecutive points and
eventually held a 24-8 advantage. Miscues and a hit from Tranchell
extended the frame, but the Cardinal and Gray clinched the next
point on a strike by May.
In the second set, MIT established a 7-3 edge which was quickly
erased courtesy of four consecutive points from Clark. The
Engineers responded with a five-point spurt which prompted a
timeout by the Cougars. Coming out of the break, the visitors
tallied a quartet of points which brought them within one (12-11).
MIT countered with a 13-5 run to close out the game.
Clark used a service error and a block by Nicole Sullivan and
Tranchell to take a 3-2 lead, its first of the night, in the final
frame. The scoring was back-and-forth until the Engineers mounted a
19-2 run that resulted in match point. Kristin McGinty momentarily
extended the Cougars’ season by striking an overpass by the
Engineers. Hopes of a late rally were thwarted when MIT’s
Kate Kelly picked up a kill to seal the match.