CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 4 MIT women's volleyball team defeated Williams College (25-12, 30-28, 25-12) and Tufts University (26-24, 25-21, 21-25, 25-11) to claim the New England Challenge title on Saturday. This was the third year in a row the Engineers won the tournament and fifth time overall. Senior
Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) was named the Tournament MVP and first-year
Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- No. 4 MIT 3, Williams 0 (25-12, 30-28, 25-12)
- No. 4 MIT 3, Tufts 1 (26-24, 25-21, 21-25, 25-11)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (24-0 Overall), Williams (10-9 Overall), Tufts (11-10 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Williams:
- Set 1: MIT raced out to an 11-4 lead before cruising to a 25-12 victory.
- Set 2: The Engineers built a 21-13 lead, but Williams battled back as a hitting error gave it a 25-24 edge. A service error along with an ace by graduate student Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.) put MIT back in front. Both teams picked up pairs of points until a kill by graduate student Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) and a block by Rozario and sophomore Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) gave the Engineers a 30-28 win.
- Set 3: Back-to-back aces by junior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) put MIT up 4-0 before going on to win the set, 25-12.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Tolstova led all players with 11 kills and added two blocks while Gragg tallied nine kills, six digs, four aces, and two blocks. Rozario totaled seven kills, a .500 hitting percentage, and six blocks as May dished out 31 assists. Senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) had a match-high 13 digs followed by nine from Margetts. Gibbs finished with four aces while junior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) posted seven digs and three aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Tufts:
- Set 1: The opening frame featured 16 ties and six lead changes. Trailing 23-21, a kill by Tolstova and a pair of aces by Personeni put MIT in front. Tufts extended the set with a kill, however, another Tolstova kill coupled with a block by Gibbs and sophomore Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) secured the 26-24 victory.
- Set 2: The Engineers quickly built a 12-4 advantage, but the Jumbos battled back, tying the set at 20. Four consecutive miscues resulted in set point for MIT. Tufts stayed alive courtesy of a kill, however, a kill from Sadati captured the win.
- Set 3: The Jumbos won the first four points and maintained a small cushion en route to a 25-21 victory.
- Set 4: The Engineers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back as they went on to claim a 25-11 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Gragg compiled 13 kills, 10 digs, four blocks, and two aces while Tolstova added 13 kills and three blocks. Sadati generated nine kills and four blocks as May tallied 38 assists, seven digs, and three blocks. Gibbs racked up nine blocks while Personeni contributed nine digs and four aces.
UP NEXT:
- MIT resumes NEWMAC play with a home match against Clark University on Tuesday, October 29 at 6:00 PM.
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