THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 8 Claremont-Mudd Scripps 3, No. 19 MIT 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-17)
 
- Records: No. 19 MIT (31-5), No. 8 CMS (25-5)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: No. 19 MIT saw its season come to end with a 25-13, 25-17, 25-17 loss to No. 8 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the regional final of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament on Saturday. Juniors Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) represented the Engineers on the Cambridge, Massachusetts Regional All-Tournament Team.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: CMS opened match with seven straight points, but MIT trimmed the deficit to 9-4 after block by senior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). The Engineers wouldn't get any closer as the Athenas pulled away for a 25-13 victory.
 
- Set 2: CMS inched out to a 7-2 lead after a kill by Brenna Bell, but kills by Keller and senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) kept MIT within striking distance. A kill by Bell sparked a 7-2 run as an ace by Izzy Sakoda moved the score to 14-6. The Engineers battled back as they came within six points on five occasions, the last at 21-15 on a Margetts kill. The Athenas picked up three of the next four points as a kill by Georgia McGovern gave the visitors set point. A kill by junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) extended the frame, however, a kill from Jenna Holmes clinched the 25-17 win.
 
- Set 3: A kill by Bell sparked a 7-1 run which gave CMS an 8-3 lead. Despite the deficit, MIT continued to attack as a block by sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and Gragg narrowed the gap to 10-7. A kill by Holmes and an ace from Audrey Sawyer created some breathing room, however, an exchange of points followed until a hitting error brought the Engineers within 14-11. Back-to-back kills from Sakoda along with a kill by Sawyer increased the Athenas' cushion as a block by Dani Beder and Holmes later resulted in a 23-15 advantage. The Engineers recorded a kill by Keller and an ace by sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), but CMS responded with another Beder-Holmes block and capitalized on a hitting error to capture the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller finished with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .448 as Gragg posted eight kills. Senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) generated 27 assists and six digs while Personeni paced MIT with eight digs.
 
- Holmes tallied 14 kills, 11 digs, and two aces as Sakoda recorded nine kills, two aces, and two blocks. McGovern produced 28 assists, eight digs, three aces, and three blocks while Dede Carranza collected a match-high 12 digs. Beder and Sawyer notched six and four blocks, respectively.
 
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
 
- This was the third year in a row and the seventh time in program history that MIT has appeared in the regional final.
 
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