THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 3, SUNY Cortland 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-18)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (31-4), Cortland (26-4)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: The No. 19 MIT women's volleyball team defeated SUNY Cortland, 25-17, 25-17, 25-18, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament on Friday night. With the win, the Engineers secured a spot in the regional final for the third year in a row and the seventh time in program history.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: After a back-and-forth start, a block by junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) and sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) along with a Cortland hitting error gave MIT a 9-7 edge. The Engineers held a small lead as an ace by Samantha Rodriguez brought the Red Dragons within 17-14. Sparked by a ball-handling error, the Engineers put together a 7-2 run as a kill by Gragg gave the hosts set point. A kill by Kira Pirrera extended the frame, however, a kill by junior Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) secured the 25-17 win.
 
- Set 2: A kill by senior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.) ignited a 10-3 run which gave MIT a 13-6 lead. The Engineers maintained a small cushion throughout the set as a kill by Gibbs resulted in a 24-16 advantage. A Pirrera kill once again kept Cortland alive, but a kill from senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) clinched the victory.
 
- Set 3: A block by Alexa Guedez and Allie Sturgess gave the Red Dragons a 4-3 edge, however a hitting error by the visitors kicked off a string of five unanswered points which put MIT in front. Cortland responded with a kill by Lexy Bloss, sparking an 8-2 run, helping the Red Dragons ahead 12-10. The Engineers countered with a Gibbs' kill, igniting a 14-4 run that was capped by a kill from Margetts. Cortland fought off match point twice, courtesy of back-to-back kills by Bloss, but a kill by Gragg thwarted the late rally and captured the 25-18 win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller led all players with 12 kills while Gragg posted 11 kills and nine digs. Rozario registered 10 kills and two blocks as Gibbs finished with eight kills on 14 errorless attempts to go along with two blocks and two aces. Senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) tallied 43 assists, 10 digs, and three aces while Margetts racked up 18 digs and eight kills.
 
- Anna Pilkey produced nine kills and seven digs as Pirrera contributed eight kills. Ryan Hinshaw and Rodriguez dished out 15 and 12 assists, respectively, while Rodriguez had three aces. Mikenzie Martens amassed 22 digs as Sturgess recorded eight digs and two blocks. Guedez generated a match-high four blocks while Bloss chipped in three of her own.
 
- This was the first meeting between both programs since 2013. MIT leads the series 5-1 with Cortland's only win occurring in the 1996 season.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host No. 8 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the NCAA Tournament regional final on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 5:00 p.m.
 
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