THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, Alfred University 0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-16)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (30-4), Alfred (14-14)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: The No. 19 MIT women's volleyball team kicked off the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament by sweeping Alfred University, 25-8, 25-11, 25-16, on Thursday night. With the victory, the Engineers reached 30 wins for the first time since 2017 and the seventh time during head coach Paul Dill's 28-year career.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT jumped out to a 9-1 lead before cruising to a 25-8 victory.
 
- Set 2: The Engineers claimed 10 of the first 11 points and eventually went up 19-4 courtesy of a kill by senior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). A kill by Jamie Chun sparked a 6-1 run for Alfred, however, MIT used a 5-1 burst, capped by an ace from sophomore Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) to clinch the 25-11 win.
 
- Set 3: The Saxons inched out to a 7-3 lead after a hitting error by the Engineers. However, a hitting miscue by the visitors ignited a 17-5 run which put MIT ahead for good. Alfred used a 4-1 burst that featured kills by Fiona McNeil and Delaney Sims, to come within 21-16. MIT countered with four straight points, including three kills by first year Emma Hickman (Houston, Texas), to close out the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- First year Peyton Brown (Parker, Colo.) led all players with seven kills, followed by six from Hickman. First year Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) dished out 17 assists while senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) posted 14 assists and two aces. Junior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected a match-high 11 digs as Margetts registered six digs and two aces.
 
- McNeil paced the Saxons with four kills while Sims notched seven assists. Chun had a team-high nine digs as Darian Ortiz produced five digs and an ace.
 
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host SUNY Cortland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Read Full Article