THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, Williams College 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (22-3), Williams (11-7)
 
- Location: Williamstown, Mass. (Lasell Gym)
 
- The Lead: The No. 19 MIT women's volleyball team kicked off the New England Challenge by sweeping host Williams College, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17, on Friday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but Williams stayed close and eventually went ahead, 14-13, on a serving error by the Engineers. Sparked by a kill from junior Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.), MIT put together a 5-1 burst to go back in front. The Ephs picked up the next four points, helping them go ahead, 19-18. The Engineers capitalized on a pair of Williams hitting errors to reclaim the lead before going on to capture a 25-21 victory courtesy of an ace by senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.).
 
- Set 2: Trailing 4-3, a serving error by the Ephs kicked off an 8-3 run by MIT. Williams replied with four straight points to come within 12-10, however, two miscues by the hosts along with kills by junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) and senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) created some breathing room. The Ephs quickly trimmed the deficit to 16-13, but the Engineers used two errors and a kill by sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) to double their lead. Williams countered with a 5-1 spurt, which moved the score to 20-18. MIT went on to win five of the next seven points to secure the win.
 
- Set 3: The Ephs inched out to a 5-2 lead, however, a kill by Gibbs ignited a 12-4 run. A kill by Williams set off an exchange of points until a block by Gibbs and sophomore Claire Underwood (Yorba Linda, Calif.) made the score 18-12. The Ephs produced back-to-back kills, but the Engineers maintained their cushion down the stretch as a kill by Gragg clinched the 25-17 victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Gragg led all players with 10 kills and 15 digs while Underwood posted eight kills and four blocks. Gibbs finished with seven kills, a .462 hitting performance, and three blocks as Cheng tallied 31 assists, seven digs, and two aces. Junior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected 11 digs followed by 10 from sophomore Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.).
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will wrap up the New England Challenge on Saturday, Oct. 21 when it plays Middlebury College at 11:00 a.m. and Tufts University at 3:30 p.m.
 
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