BOSTON, Mass. – With a 25-11, 25-17, 25-16 victory over Emerson College on Tuesday night, the No. 4 MIT women's volleyball team improved to 17-0 on the year and 5-0 in NEWMAC play. This is the third time in program history and the first since 1988 that the Engineers opened the season with 17 consecutive wins.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 4 MIT 3, Emerson 0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-16)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (17-0 Overall, 5-0 NEWMAC), Emerson (9-9 Overall, 2-3 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: MIT jumped out to an 11-2 lead before cruising to a 25-11 victory as back-to-back aces by junior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) secured the win.
- Set 2: In a closely played set, a four-point burst that featured three kills by first-year Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) gave the Engineers a 23-16 advantage. Emerson countered with a kill, however, MIT responded with a kill from sophomore Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and an ace by sophomore Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) to capture the victory.
- Set 3: Tied at 10, a hitting error kicked off a 7-0 run that was capped by an ace from graduate student Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.). The Engineers maintained a small cushion down the stretch as a kill by graduate student Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) clinched the 25-16 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Tolstova finished with a match-high 10 kills followed by nine from Sadati and eight by Rozario. Senior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) tallied eight digs, seven kills, and two aces while May recorded 28 assists and three aces.
- Senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) led all players with 12 digs and added seven assists as Gavros posted 10 digs and three aces.
- MIT received its highest ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association/Taraflex Division III Coaches Poll as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host NEWMAC rival Wellesley College on Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
