THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 21 MIT 3, Swarthmore College 2 (22-25, 25-13, 14-25, 25-19, 15-6)
 
- Records: No. 21 MIT (15-3), Swarthmore (9-3)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: Trailing late in the fourth set, No. 21 MIT mounted a 7-0 run to force a fifth set and then overpowered Swarthmore College to capture a 22-25, 25-13, 14-25, 25-19, 15-6 victory on the opening night of the MIT Quad Tournament on Friday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: The opening frame featured eight ties and two lead changes. Deadlocked at 18, Swarthmore produced two kills by Kaylee Zhang and two aces by Dani Pena to build a small lead. MIT capitalized on a serving error and back-to-back aces by senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) to come within 22-21. An exchange of points followed until an ace by Ellie Streeper secured a 25-22 win.
 
- Set 2: After a tight start, the Engineers put together an 8-1 run that resulted in a 13-7 advantage. MIT maintained its cushion throughout the frame as an ace by junior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) clinched the 25-13 victory.
 
- Set 3: Knotted at three, a kill by Jordan Perry sparked an 11-4 run by the Garnet. Swarthmore's lead held as it went on to record a 25-14 win.
 
- Set 4: The Engineers slowly built a 10-5 lead courtesy of a kill by junior Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.). However, the Garnet replied with an 8-2 run, going ahead, 13-12, on an ace by Zhang. Six ties and three lead changes would ensue as an MIT serving error gave the visitors a 19-18 edge. The Engineers then rattled off seven straight points to capture the victory on the strength of senior Ashley Margetts's (Brownsburg, Ind.) serving. During the rally, sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and Keller collaborated on two blocks while Gibbs had a solo stop. Keller then added back-to-back kills to close out the set.
 
- Set 5: MIT carried the momentum into the final frame as it jumped out to a 5-0 lead and then back-to-back aces by sophomore Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) gave it an 8-3 margin at the changeover. The Engineers continued to pull away as an ace by Personeni resulted in match point at 14-5. A kill by Perry kept Swarthmore, however, a kill by junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) completed the comeback by the hosts.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller led all players with 18 kills while hitting .500 and adding three blocks. Gragg finished with 10 kills as senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) registered eight of her own. Cheng tallied 44 assists, nine digs, and three aces while Gibbs posted four blocks. Personeni totaled a match-high 16 digs to go along with three aces as Gavros generated 13 digs and four aces.
 
- Trisha Razdan led the Garnet with 16 kills while Zhang amassed 14 digs, 12 kills, three blocks, and two aces. Pena produced 28 assists, 11 digs, and three aces as Emily Sun dished out 12 assists. Streeper collected 12 digs while Zindzhi Montgomery racked up five blocks.
 
- This was the second meeting between both programs and the first since MIT defeated Swarthmore, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21, at the 2016 MIT Quad Tournament.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT and Swarthmore return to action on Saturday, Oct. 7 with two more matches to close out the MIT Quad Tournament. The Engineers will face Illinois College at 11:00 a.m. followed by Albion College at 2:00 p.m. The Garnet, meanwhile, will take on Albion at 11:00 a.m. and Illinois College at 2:00 p.m.
 
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