THE BASICS:
 
- Scores:
Springfield College 3, No. 16 MIT 2 (16-25, 8-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-6)
No. 16 MIT 3, UC Santa Cruz 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-20)
 
- Records: MIT (10-3, 1-1 NEWMAC); Springfield (12-1, 2-0 NEWMAC); UC Santa Cruz (12-7)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: The No. 16 MIT women's volleyball team fell to NEWMAC foe Springfield College in five sets (16-25, 8-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-6) but bounced back to sweep UC Santa Cruz (25-13, 25-13, 25-20) on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Springfield:
 
- Set 1: After a back-and-forth start, MIT rattled off four points in a row as an ace by senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) resulted in an 11-8 lead. The Engineers slowly pulled away and then captured a 25-16 win on an ace by senior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.).
 
- Set 2: MIT won five of the first six points before going on to build an 11-5 advantage. Sparked by a kill from first year Emma Hickman (Houston, Texas), the Engineers generated nine unanswered points en route to a 25-8 victory. During the run, junior Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.) posted four kills while sophomore Claire Underwood (Yorba Linda, Calif.) recorded three kills in a row.
 
- Set 3: The third set was closely played as there were 13 ties and five lead changes. Trailing 15-14, a Springfield kill kicked off a 5-1 run which put it ahead for good. MIT stayed within striking distance as kills by Keller and senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) narrowed the gap to 21-19. The Pride replied with a 4-1 spurt to close out the frame.
 
- Set 4: In another tight affair, there were 11 ties and seven lead changes. A kill and a serving error gave Springfield a 20-18 edge but a hitting error by the visitors set off an exchange of points that moved the score to 23-21. A kill by the Pride resulted in set point, however, a serving error kept the Engineers alive. Springfield quickly responded with a kill to thwart a comeback attempt.
 
- Set 5: Knotted at two, the Pride picked up the next four points before going up, 8-4, at the changeover. Once action resumed, Springfield put together a 7-2 run to clinch the win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller tallied 14 kills, a .419 hitting performance, and two blocks while Underwood produced 12 kills and a .393 hitting effort. Junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) registered 11 kills, a career-high 15 digs, and two blocks as Cheng dished out 43 assists. Margetts notched three aces while junior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) racked up 30 digs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. UC Santa Cruz:
 
- Set 1: Holding a 5-4 lead, a kill by Rozario sparked a 13-3 run that was capped by an ace from Cheng. MIT maintained its comfortable cushion as it went on to record a 25-13 win.
 
- Set 2: The Engineers inched out to a 7-3 lead; however, UC Santa Cruz battled back and tied the score at nine on an ace. MIT responded with a kill by Hickman that led to a string of seven straight points which fueled a 16-4 set-ending run.
 
- Set 3: The Banana Slugs held a small lead for most of the set as a trio of kills and a block gave them a 16-12 advantage. Following their own timeout, the Engineers rattled off seven points in a row to go in front. Both teams then traded points until a block by Cheng and Rozario gave MIT a 22-18 edge. UCSC countered with back-to-back kills, however, the Engineers capitalized on a hitting error, an Underwood kill, and an ace by Rozario to wrap up the match.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller led all players with 10 kills and hit .360 while Rozario totaled nine kills, a .529 hitting percentage, and four blocks. Hickman connected on all six of her attack attempts as Cheng generated 30 assists, seven digs, four aces, and two blocks. Personeni recorded 13 digs and two aces while Margetts contributed seven digs.
 
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT travels to Salve Regina University on Tuesday, Sept. 26 for a 6:00 p.m. NEWMAC match.
 
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