THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, Babson College 0 (26-24, 25-11, 25-18)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (21-5, 9-0 NEWMAC), Babson (19-6, 8-1 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: With a 26-24, 25-11, 25-18 victory over Babson College on Tuesday, No. 19 MIT captured the NEWMAC volleyball regular season title and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NEWMAC. The Engineers receive a first-round bye will host the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 5 and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 6.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: Tied at 15, a kill by Isabella Allen kicked off a 5-1 spurt which resulted in a 20-16 lead for Babson. Sparked by a serving error, MIT mounted an 8-2 run as a kill by sophomore Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) gave the Engineers set point. The Beavers capitalized on a hitting error and a block from Lauren Gips and Izzy Seebold to stay alive. However, MIT used a kill by junior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) and a hitting error by the Beavers to capture the 26-24 win.
 
- Set 2: A kill from senior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.) ignited a 10-0 run, helping the Engineers establish a 13-2 advantage. MIT maintained its comfortable cushion as back-to-back aces by sophomore Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) increased the lead to 24-10. A kill by Erin Gray extended the frame for Babson, but the Engineers replied with a kill from senior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) to wrap up the set.
 
- Set 3: MIT raced out to a 10-3 lead following back-to-back aces by Keller. The Beavers chipped away at the deficit as an ace by Martina Jankovic Chin narrowed the gap to 16-4. The Engineers responded with five unanswered points as Keller produced two kills and two aces while sophomore Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) and Rozario collaborated for a block. Babson claimed four out of the next five points to come within 22-18. This was as close as it would get as two hitting miscues by the visitors along with a kill by Unell secured the victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller led all players with 12 kills and four aces while hitting .476. Unell contributed six kills and three blocks as junior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) dished out 26 assists.
 
- Personeni paced MIT with 11 digs, followed by eight from junior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). First-year Daphne Gavros (Tiburon, Calif.) posted seven digs and three aces. Gragg bolstered the defense with three blocks.
 
- Gips registered eight kills, a .462 hitting performance, and two blocks as Allen chipped in five kills. Seebold tallied 20 assists and two aces while Tatum Stelter generated a match-high 15 digs to go along with two aces for Babson.
 
- This will be the 12^th time in program and the first since 2017 that MIT will be the top seed in the NEWMAC Tournament.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- Both teams wrap up the NEWMAC regular season at home on Saturday, Oct. 29. MIT will host the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at 12:00 p.m. while Babson will take the court an hour later against Smith College.
 
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