CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 4 MIT women's volleyball team defeated Middlebury College, 25-18, 25-13, 25-15, to kick off the New England Challenge on Friday night in Rockwell Cage. Senior
Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) racked up 14 kills, a .414 hitting percentage, eight digs, three aces, and three blocks for the Engineers while sophomore Molly Harrison (Tiburon, Calif.) produced six kills and three blocks for the Panthers.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 4 MIT 3, Middlebury 0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-15)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (22-0 Overall), Middlebury (13-6 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: Three aces by Harrison followed by a block from sophomore Gabby Pribisch (Cleveland, Ohio) and senior Gabbie O'Toole (Overland Park, Kan.) gave Middlebury an 8-5 edge. MIT replied with a kill by sophomore Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.), which sparked a 13-4 run by the Engineers. The Panthers chipped away at the deficit as a kill from Pribisch brought the visitors within 22-18. MIT capitalized on a hitting error, a Gragg ace, and a kill by first-year Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) to secure the victory.
- Set 2: The Engineers won the first four points and built a small cushion before going on to win the frame, 25-13, on a block by junior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and Tolstova.
- Set 3: After a back-and-forth start, MIT gradually pulled away as a serving error resulted in a 17-8 advantage. Middlebury used a kill by junior Lillian Caldwell (Wayne, Pa.), two aces from first-year Annabella Rando (San Jose, Calif.), and a hitting error to narrow the gap. This was as close as it would get as the Engineers outscored the Panthers, 8-3, to claim a 25-15 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Graduate student Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) and Tolstova both posted eight kills as Rozario chipped in three blocks. Sophomore Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) notched seven kills while Gibbs finished with three blocks. May totaled 34 assists and two aces as senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected 16 digs and two aces. Junior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) and graduate student Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.) bolstered the defense with 12 and seven digs, respectively.
- Pribisich recorded six kills and three blocks while O'Toole notched 21 assists and two blocks. Rando generated 14 digs and three aces as junior Campbell Keller (Perry, Kan.) chipped in eight digs.
UP NEXT:
- MIT and Middlebury return to action on Saturday, October 26 with two more matches to close out the New England Challenge. The Engineers will face Williams College at 11:00 AM followed by Tufts University at 3:30 PM. The Panthers, meanwhile, will take on Springfield College at 11:00 AM and Babson College at 3:30 PM.
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