THE BASICS:

- Scores:

No. 20 MIT 3, Smith College 0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-18)

No. 20 MIT 3, Simmons College 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)

- Records: MIT (11-0, 2-0 NEWMAC); Smith (5-4, 0-1 NEWMAC); Simmons (5-5)

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

- The Lead: The nationally-ranked No. 20 MIT women's volleyball team improved to 2-0 in the NEWMAC following a 25-10, 25-22, 25-18 victory over conference foe Smith College and saw its overall record raise to 11-0 on the year after defeating Simmons College (25-11, 25-15, 25-17) on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Smith:

- MIT recorded the first point of the opening set and never looked back, reaching set point at 24-8 on a kill by junior Carly Staub (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.). Smith extended the frame courtesy of Kimani Freeman's kill and a block by Caleigh Johnson and Xela Miller. The late rally was stopped by sophomore Alexis Groark's (Huntington, N.Y.) kill.

- After 10 ties and five lead changes in the second set, the Engineers established a 21-15 lead following a kill by sophomore Shea Landeene (Phoenix, Ariz.). The Pioneers battled back as a pair of Freeman aces and an MIT hitting error tied the score at 22. The comeback attempt would be thwarted as a trio of errors gave the hosts a 25-22 win.

- Trailing 10-7, a kill by Landeene ignited a 17-6 run which was capped by another Landeene kill. A kill by Amy Hagen and an ace from Maca Rojas kept Smith alive but a kill from Groark clinched the match.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Junior Abby Bertics (La Jolla, Calif.) generated a match-high 15 kills and a .583 hitting percentage in two sets for MIT. Staub finished with six kills on 10-errorless attempts while also recording two blocks. Junior Christina Liao (Warren, N.J.) tallied 34 assists, nine digs, and two aces as classmate Carly Silvernale (Bellevue, Wash.) posted eight digs. Groark recorded seven digs, five kills, and two aces while freshman Francesca Macchiavello (Lexington, Ky.) contributed six digs.

- Freeman notched four kills and three aces as Johnson added four kills and two blocks. Rojas registered a double-double on 13 assists and 11 digs while Helen Wiatrowski bolstered the defense with seven digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Simmons:

- A pair of serving errors gave Simmons an early edge in the first set, however, MIT mounted a 24-7 run to put the frame out of reach. A Morgan Weeg kill coupled with a hitting error by the hosts extended the set, but a serving error secured the 25-11 MIT victory.

- The Engineers gradually created a 15-5 advantage in the second set and maintained a comfortable cushion en route to a 25-15 win.

- A kill by sophomore Veronica Ripper (Brighton, Mich.) gave MIT a 14-7 lead in the third set. Following its own timeout, Simmons went on a 5-1 spurt, capitalizing on a serving error to come within 15-12. A serving miscue along with a block by Landeene and Ripper gave the Engineers some breathing room. However, the Sharks stayed close as a kill from Jarene Harberts made the score 22-17. This was as close as it would get as a kill by Liao, a setting error, and then an ace from Liao secured the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Bertics once again led all players with 15 kills and hit .542 while adding two blocks as Liao distributed 33 assists. Senior Alli Davanzo (Saint Johns, Fla.) had six kills and three blocks while classmate Lisette Tellez (Miami, Fla.) tallied five kills, five aces, and five digs. Silvernale paced MIT with eight digs, followed by six from senior Clare Farley (La Jolla, Calif.), and five by Macchiavello in just one set.

- Weeg powered Simmons with eight digs while Faith Gray-Williams produced seven assists and seven digs. Kenna McCarthy also dished out seven assists as Morgan Lauvray collected nine digs. Harberts and Julia Fusco both ended the day with seven digs.

UP NEXT:

- All three teams will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 19. MIT will travel to Colby-Sawyer College for a 6:30 p.m. start while Smith will visit NEWMAC foe WPI at 7:00 p.m. Simmons will make the short trip to Lesley University with the first serve slated for 8:00 p.m.

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