THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 3, North Park University 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23)
 
- Records: MIT (10-9); North Park (9-10)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: In a closely played match that featured 27 ties and 12 lead changes, the MIT men's volleyball team emerged with a 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 victory over North Park University on Thursday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: Trailing 9-8, a kill by Parker Payne kicked off a 5-1 spurt by North Park. MIT stayed within striking distance for most of the set as a kill by senior Nick Gustafson (San Diego, Calif.) coupled with back-to-back kills from senior Troy Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) evened the score at 17. A kill by Sam Robinson and a hitting error by the Engineers gave the Vikings a slight edge, but a serving error by visitors cut MIT's deficit in half. An exchange of points followed as a kill by Emmanuel Eugene clinched the 25-23 win for North Park.
 
- Set 2: The Vikings rattled off five straight points to tie the second set at 9-9. The Engineers capitalized on miscues by North Park, helping fuel a 5-1 run. MIT maintained its small cushion for the rest of the frame as an ace by junior Samuel Kravitz (Cambridge, Mass.) and a kill by senior Albert Luo (Dallas, Texas) resulted in set point at 24-17. A Robinson kill extended the frame, however, a kill from Gustafson secured the victory.
 
- Set 3: After a back-and-forth start to the set, the Engineers gradually built a 20-16 lead. North Park chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the score at 21 courtesy of Payne's kill. MIT replied with four unanswered points to wrap up the set, capped by an ace from Oliveira.
 
- Set 4: Sparked by a kill from Teddy Gedville, the Vikings put together an 11-5 run which resulted in a 15-10 advantage. The Engineers battled back, tying the set 19 on a kill by Gustafson. North Park capitalized on a pair of MIT errors to create some breathing room. However, the Engineers recorded an Oliveira kill and a pair of blocks with junior Phillip Johnson (Chandler, Ariz.) assisting in both. A kill by Erik Bullard knotted the score at 22, but a kill from Gustafson put MIT ahead. Ty Ingrao's kill created another deadlock; however, the Engineers used a hitting error and an ace by Gustafson to complete the comeback.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Gustafson finished with 21 kills, a .375 hitting percentage, and three blocks while Oliveira posted 12 kills, a .348 hitting effort, and two aces. First year Michael Rini (Huntington Beach, Calif.) bolstered the attack with seven kills as Johnson produced seven blocks. First year Kevin Windisch (Placentia, Calif.) and first year George Chang (Winter Springs, Fla.) both registered six digs while Windisch added three blocks. Luo rounded out MIT with 43 assists.
 
- Ingrao paced North Park with 12 kills, followed by nine from Bullard. Eugene totaled seven kills, five digs, and two aces while Robinson posted seven kills and four blocks. Gedville and Alejandro Condoy dished out 26 and 12 assists, respectively, as Adrian Cales collected a match-high 11 digs.
 
- This was the second meeting between both programs. The Engineers won the first outing in three sets in 2019.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will travel to nationally ranked No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology on Thursday, March 23 for a 7:00 p.m. match. North Park, meanwhile, continues its Massachusetts trip on Friday, March 17 when it visits No. 14 Wentworth Institute of Technology at 6:00 p.m.
 
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