THE BASICS:
 
- Scores:
No. 19 MIT 3, Middlebury College 1 (25-16, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16)
No. 19 MIT 3, No. 25 Tufts University 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-19)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (20-5); Middlebury (12-8); No. 25 Tufts (15-5)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: The No. 19 MIT women's volleyball team captured the New England Challenge title for the third time and first since 2016 after defeating Middlebury College, 25-16, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16, and No. 25 Tufts University, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19, on Saturday. Junior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) was named the Tournament MVP while sophomore Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Middlebury:
 
- Set 1: Trailing 5-4, a Middlebury serving error sparked a 13-4 run that was capped with back-to-back kills by senior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.). The Panthers picked up the next three points, to come within 17-12. After trading points, MIT gradually increased its margin as it eventually won the set 25-16.
 
- Set 2: The Engineers slowly established a 16-10 lead after a hitting error by Middlebury. The Panthers battled back, closing the gap to two on three occasions, the last at 18-16 on a kill. MIT replied with a kill by Rozario which sparked a 7-1 set-ending run.
 
- Set 3: Middlebury jumped out to a 10-4 lead and maintained a small cushion which grew to 17-11. The Engineers chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the score at 24 on a block by Rozario and Edwards. The Panthers countered with a block and an ace to secure the victory.
 
- Set 4: A kill by Rozario ignited a 12-5 run that resulted in a 20-11 advantage. An exchange of points followed until a kill and ace by Middlebury moved the score to 22-15. The back-and-forth scoring resumed, however, a kill by Edwards and then a block with senior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.) clinched the 25-16 win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Edwards led all players with 17 kills and added two blocks while Rozario posted 12 kills and a .478 hitting performance. Keller and sophomore Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) rounded out the attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
 
- Junior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) tallied 53 assists, 13 digs, and four aces as sophomore Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) racked up a match-high 27 digs. Junior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.) chipped in 14 digs while first-year Daphne Gavros (Tiburon, Calif.) produced 11 digs and three aces. Unell bolstered the Engineers with three blocks and three aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. No. 25 Tufts:
 
- Set 1: MIT scored four of the first five points before going up 17-9. Tufts trimmed the deficit to 20-14, but the Engineers went on to win the set, 25-17, on a kill by Gragg.
 
- Set 2: After a back-and-forth start to the set, a kill by Rozario, a block by Unell, and a hitting error by the Jumbos gave MIT a 10-7 edge. Tufts stayed within striking distance as back-to-back kills narrowed the gap to 15-14. This was as close as it would get as a serving error by the Jumbos kicked off a 10-4 set-ending run that was capped by a Keller kill.
 
- Set 3: Tufts inched out to a 9-5 lead; however, a serving error ignited a 13-4 run by the Engineers. The Jumbos narrowed the gap to three on two occasions, the last at 20-17 on an MIT hitting error. The Engineers responded with a 5-2 spurt as an ace by Gavros wrapped up the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller posted a match-high 12 kills while hitting .524 as Rozario tallied 11 kills, a .556 hitting percentage, and four blocks. Edwards chipped in 10 kills as Cheng dished out 35 assists.
 
- Personeni paced MIT with eight digs, followed by seven from senior Sofie Kupiec (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and six by Margetts.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT resumes NEWMAC play on Tuesday, Oct. 25 when it hosts No. 23 Babson College at 7:00 p.m.
 
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