THE BASICS:
 
- Scores:
No. 18 MIT 3, Middlebury College 1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-13)
Williams College 3, No. 18 MIT 1 (25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 26-24)
 
- Records: MIT (22-2); Middlebury (17-4); Williams (13-4)
 
- Location: Williamstown, Mass. (Chandler Gymnasium)
 
- The Lead: Competing at the New England Challenge on Saturday, the No. 18 MIT women's volleyball team defeated Middlebury College (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-13) but fell to host Williams College (25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 26-24).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs Middlebury:
 
- Set 1: Middlebury built a 7-3 lead, but MIT battled back, tying the set at 11 on a block by first-year Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) and junior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.). After an exchange of points, a trio of errors fueled a 9-1 run which gave the Engineers a 21-14 advantage. MIT maintained a small cushion as Gragg's kill secured the 25-21 win.
 
- Set 2: The Panthers gradually established a 12-7 lead. Sparked by a kill from sophomore Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.), the Engineers went on a 14-4 run that put them ahead for good. Middlebury chipped away at the deficit as a block narrowed the gap to 23-20. A serving error gave MIT set point, but a kill extended the frame for the Panthers. The Engineers thwarted the comeback attempt courtesy of a kill by sophomore Allison Brattley (Fleetwood, Pa.).
 
- Set 3: MIT jumped out to a 12-6 lead, but Middlebury captured seven of the next eight points, tying the set at 13. After trading points, a 6-1 burst put the Panthers in front, 21-17. The back-and-forth scoring resumed; however, back-to-back kills gave Middlebury a 24-19 cushion. Kills by junior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) and senior Annie Bryan (Kirkwood, Mo.) kept the Engineers alive, but a ball-handling error gave the Panthers the 25-21 victory.
 
- Set 4: After a tight start to the set, MIT gradually pulled away as a kill from sophomore Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.) gave it a 13-10 edge. Middlebury capitalized on a serving error, but it wouldn't get any closer as a Brattley kill ignited a 12-2 match-ending run.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Gragg led all players with 16 kills while Bryan finished with 15 kills and a .429 hitting performance. Brattley bolstered the front row with nine kills and three blocks.
 
- First-year Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) amassed a match-high 26 digs, followed by 12 from Margetts, and eight by juniors Sofie Kupiec (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Emma Suh (Santa Monica, Calif.).
 
- Sophomore Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) tallied 44 assists and seven digs as Unell posted three blocks and two aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Williams:
 
- Set 1: Williams gradually built a 15-11 lead, however, a serving error in addition to two kills by Gragg and a kill from Unell knotted the set. The Ephs responded with a 5-1 spurt to create some breathing room. The Engineers managed to come within one point on three occasions, the last at 23-22 on a Bryan kill. Williams used back-to-back kills to clinch the 25-22 win.
 
- Set 2: The Ephs jumped out to a 7-3 lead and maintained a comfortable cushion as an ace resulted in set point at 24-14. MIT extended the frame with a pair of kills from Bryan, a kill by Gragg, and an ace by Margetts. The comeback bid would be denied as Williams ended the set with a kill.
 
- Set 3: The Engineers raced out to a 7-1 advantage and never looked back as they recorded a comfortable 25-17 victory.
 
- Set 4: MIT inched out to an 11-7 lead following a kill by Brattley, however, the Ephs put together a 10-2 run. The Engineers rattled off four straight points to tie the score at 17. Williams notched back-to-back kills, but a kill from Gragg and an ace by Kupiec reestablished the deadlock. The hosts claimed two of the next three points, however, two kills by Bryan coupled with an Ephs' hitting error gave the Engineers a 23-22 edge. Williams recorded a kill, but MIT went up 24-23 courtesy of an Edwards kill. The Ephs countered with two kills and their 15^th block of the match to capture the come-from-behind win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Bryan finished with a match and career-high 20 kills while hitting .390 and producing two blocks. Gragg generated 14 kills as Unell contributed 11 kills on a .500 hitting performance.
 
- Cheng dished out 56 assists while Kupiec earned three aces.
 
- Personeni paced the Engineers with 22 digs as Margetts added 10 of her own.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT continues its road trip on Tuesday, Oct. 26 when it travels to NEWMAC foe Babson College for a 7:00 p.m. match.
 
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