THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 18 MIT 3, No. 19 Tufts University 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-18)
 
- Records: No. 18 MIT (27-5), No. 19 Tufts (23-6)
 
- Location: Medford, Mass. (Cousens Gymnasium)
 
- The Lead: Nationally-ranked No. 18 MIT swept No. 19 Tufts University, 25-14, 25-20, 25-18, in the final of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament Medford, Massachusetts Regional on Saturday. For the second year in a row the Engineers earned a spot in the quarterfinals which will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the UMPC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT inched out to an 8-3 lead after an ace by junior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). Tufts responded with a 7-1 run to go in front, 10-9. Sparked by a kill from senior Lilly Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) and then a strong serving run by first-year Daphne Gavros (Tiburon, Calif.), the Engineers mounted a 16-5 run to capture the set as a kill by junior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) resulted in a 25-14 victory.
 
- Set 2: In a closely played set, a kill by Rozario kicked off a 5-1 spurt that put MIT up, 18-13. The Jumbos picked up the next three points, however, the Engineers inched out to a 21-17 lead after a kill by sophomore Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.). Tufts capitalized on a serving error and a kill to cut its deficit in half, but MIT won four out of the last five points to take the 25-20 win.
 
- Set 3: The Jumbos went up 4-1 but a kill by sophomore Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) sparked a 12-2 run which put the Engineers ahead for good. Following a brief exchange of points, a block by senior Alyssa Unell (Scottsdale, Ariz.), a kill from Keller, and a Tufts hitting error moved the score to 17-8. The Jumbos narrowed the gap to six on three occasions, the third time at 20-14 on a kill. MIT increased its cushion courtesy of a serving error and an ace by Margetts but both teams traded points until a hitting error once again brought Tufts within six (23-17). A kill by Edwards resulted in match point, however, a serving error extended the frame. The Engineers quickly replied with another Keller kill to clinch the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Rozario led all players with 10 kills while hitting .600 and registered five blocks. Gragg posted nine kills and a .444 hitting percentage as Keller totaled nine kills and three blocks. Junior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) produced 34 assists and eight digs while sophomore Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected a match-high 10 digs. Unell bolstered MIT's defense with three blocks, including two solos.
 
- Cheng and Rozario represented MIT on the Medford, Massachusetts Regional All-Tournament Team while Rozario was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
 
- This was the second year in a row and the sixth time in program history that MIT has appeared in the regional final.
 
- This was the second time MIT and Tufts have met in the NCAA Tournament. The first meeting occurred in the second round in 2017 during which the Engineers outlasted the Jumbos, 25-23, 13-25, 26-28, 30-28, 15-10.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT's opponent and match time for Wednesday, Nov. 16 will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 13.
 
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