THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, Clark University 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-13)
 
- Records: MIT (18-1, 7-0 NEWMAC); Clark (11-7, 3-4 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Kneller Gymnasium)
 
- The Lead: In a NEWMAC women's volleyball match on Tuesday night, nationally-ranked No. 19 MIT defeated Clark University, 25-17, 25-16, 25-13. As a team the Engineers recorded a .367 hitting percentage, including a .536 performance in the third set.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT jumped out to a 5-1 lead which grew to 12-3 after a block by first-year Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) and senior Annie Bryan (Kirkwood, Mo.). Clark chipped away at the deficit, coming within four on two occasions, the last at 19-15. The Engineers gained some breathing room on kills by junior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) and Bryan in addition to a hitting error by the Cougars before going on to win the set, 25-17.
 
- Set 2: After a back-and-forth start that saw Clark tie the score at nine, a kill from Gragg kicked off a string of 11 unanswered points. Following a brief exchange of points, the Cougars narrowed the gap to 23-16 courtesy of a kill, an ace, and back-to-back hitting errors. MIT thwarted the late rally with a block from graduate student Emily Condon (Orange, Calif.) and sophomore Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and then another kill by Gragg.
 
- Set 3: Trailing 5-4, a kill from Edwards sparked a 5-0 spurt which put the Engineers ahead for good. The Cougars stayed within striking distance as a service error trimmed the deficit to 12-8. MIT responded with a 13-5 run to close out the match as a kill by first-year Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) secured the victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Cheng tallied 37 assists, three aces, and three blocks.
 
- Gragg led all players with 12 kills while sophomore Allison Brattley (Fleetwood, Pa.) produced nine kills on 13-errorless hitting attempts to go along with six blocks. Bryan bolstered the front row with nine kills and three blocks.
 
- First-year Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) paced the Engineers with 13 digs as junior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.) notched four blocks.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to Trinity College (Conn.) on Saturday, Oct. 16 for a tri-match against Bates College (1:00 p.m.) and the host Bantams (3:00 p.m.)
 
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