THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, Simmons University 0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-14)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (14-2), Simmons (10-6)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: In its return to non-conference action, the No. 19 MIT women's volleyball team swept Simmons University, 25-11, 25-21, 25-14, on Wednesday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: A kill by Claire Conners brought Simmons within 6-5, however, a kill from sophomore Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) sparked an 18-5 run by MIT. A kill by Sydney Iannantuono extended the frame, but a serving error resulted in a 25-11 win for the Engineers.
 
- Set 2: Knotted at seven, a kill from junior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) kicked off a string of six unanswered points. Back-to-back kills by Jayla Parnell kept the Sharks within striking distance, however, MIT gradually pulled away and reached set point at 24-16 on a kill by sophomore Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.). Simmons capitalized on kills from Conners and Iannantuono, a pair of hitting errors, and an ace by Joenissa Ortiz to stay alive. Following their own timeout, the Engineers thwarted the late rally courtesy of a kill from Rozario.
 
- Set 3: MIT jumped out to a 6-1 lead and maintained a comfortable cushion as an ace by first-year Daphne Gavros (Tiburon, Calif.) moved the score to 24-13. Conners countered with a kill, however, a hitting error secured the victory for the Engineers.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Senior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) paced MIT with 10 kills as senior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.) posted nine kills, a .692 hitting performance, and three aces. Rozario also produced nine kills as she hit .750 on the night.
 
- Junior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) totaled 22 assists and seven digs while senior Sofie Kupiec (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) dished out 13 assists. Personeni led all players with 11 digs and four aces as Gavros registered eight digs and two aces.
 
- Conners finished with a team-high 10 kills to go along with a match-high three blocks for Simmons. Iannantuono and Parnell both generated six kills while Iannantuono added nine digs. Kat Simeonidis notched 20 assists and five digs as April Beatty contributed five digs and two aces.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to NYU for the two-day NYU Showdown beginning on Friday, Oct. 7. The Engineers open the tournament against No. 9 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 2:00 p.m. and then return to the court on Saturday versus No. 8 Calvin University (10:00 a.m.) and No. 10 NYU (5:30 p.m.). Simmons, meanwhile, will visit Johnson & Wales University for a tri-match on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Sharks will play the host Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. in a GNAC match before squaring off with Elms College at 12:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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