THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 7 Juniata College 3, No. 18 MIT 1 (25-16, 25-15, 21-25, 25-17)
 
- Records: MIT (29-4); Juniata (32-1)
 
- Location: St. Louis, Mo. (WU Field House at Washington University)
 
- The Lead: The nationally-ranked No. 18 MIT women's volleyball team saw its season come to an end when it fell to No. 7 Juniata College, 25-16, 25-15, 21-25, 25-17, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: Juniata raced out to a 7-1 lead but MIT battled back, closing the gap to 9-5 on a kill by senior Annie Bryan (Kirkwood, Mo.). The Eagles gradually built a 16-9 advantage, however, a kill by junior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.) kept the Engineers close. Juniata picked up three of the next four points before going on to win the set, 25-16.
 
- Set 2: The early stages of the second set were closely played as there were nine ties and three lead changes. Trailing 11-9, the Engineers used kills by sophomore Allison Brattley (Fleetwood, Pa.) and junior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) to tie things up. A serving error kicked off a 6-1 burst which gave Juniata some breathing room. A kill by Brattley trimmed the deficit to 17-13, however, the Eagles went on an 8-3 run to close out the set.
 
- Set 3: The third set was another back-and-forth affair as there were 10 ties and two lead changes. MIT jumped out to a 7-2 lead but Juniata put together an 8-1 run to go in front. Following four ties, the Eagles inched out to an 18-14 lead. Sparked by a kill from Bryan, the Engineers mounted a 7-2 run as a block by Unell gave them a slight edge. An exchange of points ensued, moving the score to 21-21. MIT registered the next four points to capture the victory. A kill by senior Nikasha Patel (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) started the spurt and was followed by a Juniata hitting error, a kill by Unell, and another kill from Patel.
 
- Set 4: The Engineers gradually established a 7-3 advantage on a kill by Bryan. Follow their own timeout, the Eagles rattled off 10 unanswered points to go ahead for good. MIT stayed within striking distance as a kill from Bryan narrowed the gap to 19-15. This was as close as it would get as Juniata pulled away for a 25-17 victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Bryan finished with a match-high 17 kills to go along with a .361 hitting percentage while Brattley totaled 12 kills and a .367 hitting effort.
 
- Sophomore Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) produced 40 assists and 14 digs as Unell recorded three blocks.
 
- First-year Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) led all players with 27 digs while senior Margaret Wang (Rockville, Md.) collected 10 digs.
 
- This was MIT's first appearance in the national quarterfinals since it was the national runner-up in 1984 and a semifinalist in 1983.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.