THE BASICS:
 
- Score: Ithaca College 3, No. 13 MIT 1 (15-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20)
 
- Records: No. 13 MIT (4-1), Ithaca (2-2)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)
 
- The Lead: Ithaca College defeated the No. 13 MIT women's volleyball team, 15-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20, in the opening match of the MIT Invitational on Friday night. Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu powered the Bombers with 21 kills while hitting .327 as junior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) paced the Engineers' attack with 15 kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: Trailing 3-2, a kill by sophomore Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) ignited a 16-5 run by MIT. The Engineers maintained their comfortable cushion as they went on to claim a 25-15 win courtesy of an Ithaca hitting error.
 
- Set 2: The Bombers gradually established a 10-6 lead which grew to 17-11 following a kill by Jamie Koopman. Despite the deficit MIT continued to attack, closing the gap to 23-22 on a kill by senior Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). A serving error by the hosts resulted in set point, however, a kill from Gibbs kept the Engineers alive. Ithaca replied with a kill from Ella Graper to capture the victory.
 
- Set 3: The third set was closely played as there were seven ties and three lead changes. Knotted at 16, a kill by junior Lauren Keller (Albuquerque, N.M.), a hitting error by the visitors, and a block by senior Emily Cheng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and Gibbs gave MIT a slight edge. Ithaca responded with back-to-back kills by Alexandra Montgomery, however, a kill by Margetts set off a brief exchange of points that moved the score to 21-20. The Bombers countered by rattling off four straight kills, including a pair from Gonzalez-Abreu, to reclaim the lead. A kill by senior Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) extended the frame, but Faith Sabatier's kill secured the 25-22 come-from-behind win.
 
- Set 4: Ellie Benedict earned an ace on the opening serve, giving Ithaca a lead it would not relinquish as its margin later grew to 16-8 courtesy of another Sabatier kill. The Engineers chipped away at the deficit as an ace by Margetts brought them with two (21-19). The Bombers countered with a kill from Sabatier followed by back-to-back strikes by Gonzalez-Abreu to reach match point. Despite a serving error, Ithaca clinched the victory on a kill by Sabatier.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Keller finished with 13 kills and a .379 hitting performance while Margetts posted nine kills and 12 digs. Cheng totaled 45 assists, 10 digs, and two aces as junior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) recorded 12 digs. Gibbs contributed five blocks and two aces while Rozario added a trio of solo blocks.
 
- Sabatier generated 18 kills, a .429 hitting effort, and three blocks as Koopman notched 11 kills, a .444 hitting percentage, and five blocks. Wesley Slavin tallied 49 assists, eight digs, and two blocks while Julia Costa collected a match-high 14 digs.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT and Ithaca return to action on Saturday, Sept. 9 with two more matches to close out the MIT Invitational. The Engineers will face Keene State College at 11:00 a.m. followed by Endicott College at 3:00 p.m. The Bombers, meanwhile, will take on Endicott at 11:00 a.m. and Keene State at 3:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.