THE BASICS:
 
- Scores:
Eastern Nazarene - 3, MIT - 2 (12-25, 16-25, 25-22, 27-25, 16-14)
MIT - 3, No. 14 Lasell - 0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-20)
 
- Records: MIT (2-1), Eastern Nazarene (2-2), Lasell (0-1)
 
- Location: Quincy, Mass. (Lahue Physical Education Center)
 
- The Lead: After Eastern Nazarene rallied to defeat the MIT men's volleyball team in the opening match of the day, the Engineers responded with a 3-0 sweep of No. 14 Lasell on Saturday afternoon in a tri-match in Quincy, Mass.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Eastern Nazarene:
 
- Set 1: Senior Dylan Ryan (Oviedo, Fla.) gave MIT a 5-2 lead before a 4-2 run got the Lions to within one. The Engineers used a 6-0 run to pull ahead 16-7, and a kill from junior Phillip Johnson (Chandler, Ariz.) sealed the 25-12 victory. The Engineers held Eastern Nazarene to a -.179 hitting percentage in the set.
 
- Set 2: After falling behind 3-1, MIT rattled off three-straight points to take a 4-3 lead. The two teams went back and forth before a kill from junior Jack Roberson (Darien, Conn.) sparked an Engineer run that gave them a 12-9 lead. The Lions inched back, and a kill from Delfy Soler tied the set at 13. Ryan then kickstarted a 12-3 run that gave the Engineers the win.
 
- Set 3: In a tightly contested third set, neither team built much of a lead. The home team held a 15-13 lead before a kill from junior Nathan Levandoske (Harvey, La.), and an attacking error tied the set. Eastern Nazarene then scored the next three points and held on to take the set 25-22.
 
-Set 4: The Lions held an early 7-4 advantage, but a service error started a 6-0 MIT run that gave the Engineers a 10-7 lead. The hosts used a 5-1 run to pull even at 13, and from there the teams traded rallies until a kill from sophomore Grant Oh (Irvine, Calif.) gave the Engineers match point. Eastern Nazarene then went on a 5-1 run to win the set and force a decisive fifth set.
 
- Set 5: A kill from senior Nick Gustafson (San Diego, Calif.) tied the set at eight, but the Lions went on a 4-0 run to take the lead. With the home team needing one more point for the win, MIT rattled off four-straight points to tie the match, but the home team scored the next two to complete the comeback win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Ryan led the Engineers with 13 kills followed by Gustafson with 10. Ryan also posted a team-leading eight blocks, and Johnson followed with six.
 
- Sophomore Riley Oh (Irvine, Calif.) put up a team-best 19 assists, and junior Max Turner (Chandler, Ariz.) contributed 17.
 
- Soler and A. Garcia Fernandez led the Lions with 12 kills each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Lasell:
 
- Set 1: MIT fell behind 7-3 but slowly chipped away as an attacking error by the Lasers got the set even at 18. Lasell got to set point, but a service error jump-started the Engineers which scored the next three points, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Gustafson, to win the opening set.
 
- Set 2: The two teams played another back-and-forth set, and Lasell eventually took a 13-10 lead. The Engineers used a 4-0 run punctuated by a kill from senior Troy Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) to go up 16-14. MIT held the lead until a 4-1 run from the Lasers gave them a 21-19 lead. With Lasell holding set point, back-to-back kills from Gustafson and an attack error gave the Engineers the set two win.
 
- Set 3: MIT used a 5-1 run to go up 13-9 and built a 16-11 advantage off an attack error. Lasell used a 3-0 run later in the set to make it a 20-17 Engineer lead, but a 4-1 run with back-to-back Gustafson kills gave MIT match point. Lasell scored the next two points, but Gustafson sealed the win with his 19th kill of the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Gustafson tied his career-best with 19 kills in the match. He also recorded 19 kills against Lasell last season.
 
- Turner recorded 30 assists and a career-best nine digs to lead the Engineers.
 
- Jordan Shinaut led Lasell with 15 kills in the match and Jesus Garcia posted a team-leading 35 assists.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- The Engineers are back in action next Saturday, January 28 for a tri-match at third-ranked Wentworth and Colby-Sawyer. MIT will take on the Leopards at 12 p.m. followed by Colby-Sawyer at 2 p.m. in Boston, Mass.

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