THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 12 Trinity University 3, No. 13 MIT 1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-17, 25-19)
 
- Records: No. 13 MIT (8-2), No. 12 Trinity (8-3)
 
- Location: San Antonio, Texas (Calgaard Gym)
 
- The Lead: In a tightly contested women's volleyball match that produced 30 ties and 13 lead changes, host No. 12 Trinity University emerged with a 24-26, 25-16, 25-17, 25-19 victory over No. 13 MIT in the finale of the Trinity Fall Classic on Saturday night. Juniors Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) represented the Engineers on the All-Tournament Team.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: The opening frame featured 15 ties and five lead changes. Trailing 18-15, MIT recorded four of the next five points as an ace by sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) evened the score at 19. Following its own timeout, Trinity used a block, a kill, and a hitting error to create some breathing room. The Engineers capitalized on a kill by Keller, a hitting error by the Tigers, and a block by seniors Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) to tie the set at 22 and force another timeout by the hosts. Once action resumed, a kill by Trinity kicked off an exchange of points as a kill by sophomore Claire Underwood (Yorba Linda, Calif.) made the score 24-24. MIT then converted a kill by Cheng and a setting error to capture the win.
 
- Set 2: Deadlocked at six, the Tigers built a small cushion courtesy of a 5-1 spurt. The Engineers narrowed the gap to two points on three occasions, the last at 15-13 on a kill by Keller. This was as close as it would get as Trinity generated a 10-3 run to pull away and secure the victory.
 
- Set 3: Trailing 4-1, MIT battled back to tie the set at nine. The Tigers rattled off four straight points, but the Engineers put together a 4-1 burst as a block by Rozario brought them within 14-13. Trinity responded with five kills in a row which fueled an 11-4 set-ending run.
 
- Set 4: A trio of errors helped the Tigers take a 5-1 lead. MIT chipped away at the deficit as back-to-back kills by Keller put it in front, 10-9. After its own timeout, Trinity went on a 6-1 run to reclaim the lead. The Engineers countered with a 5-1 spurt as a kill by first year Peyton Brown (Parker, Colo.) tied the frame at 16. A trio of errors by the visitors created a small cushion, however, two errors by the Tigers narrowed the gap to 19-18. Trinity capitalized on a ball-handling error and a block, establishing enough of a margin as it went on to claim a 25-19 win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller produced a team-high 15 kills and added three blocks while Underwood finished with 11 kills. Rozario racked up a match and career-high eight blocks to go along with seven kills as Cheng totaled 36 assists and four blocks. Sophomore Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) collected a match and career-high 20 digs followed by 17 from Personeni and 10 by junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.).
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to U.S. Coast Guard Academy for its NEWMAC opener on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m.
 
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