CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 4 MIT kicked off the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship by defeating Maine Maritime Academy, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14, in the first round on Thursday night in Rockwell Cage. Senior
Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) led the Engineers with nine kills and five aces while sophomore Sydney Williams (Melbourne, Fla.) paced the Mariners with nine kills, a .412 hitting percentage, and three blocks.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 4 MIT 3, Maine Maritime 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-14)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (32-1 Overall); Maine Maritime (18-11 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: MIT quickly built a 13-4 lead, but Maine Maritime battled back as a hitting error brought it within 14-8. The Engineers responded with kills by sophomore Elise Echarte (Miami Beach, Fla.) and junior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) before going on an 11-3 set-ending run.
- Set 2: Following a back-and-forth start, MIT built a 9-3 advantage after the second of two aces by Gragg. The Mariners stayed close as a hitting error narrowed the gap to 11-8. Kills by sophomore Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) sandwiched a block by Gragg and sophomore Emma Hickman (Houston, Texas) as the Engineers pulled away for a 24-13 lead. A kill from sophomore Ally Hadley (Hebron, Conn.) extended the frame, however, MIT countered with a kill by first-year Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) to secure the win.
- Set 3: The Engineers inched to out a 7-4 lead after kills by Echarte (Miami Beach, Fla.) and sophomore Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) and an ace from sophomore Peyton Brown (Parker, Colo.). A block by Williams and senior Chloe Weeks (Farmington, N.H.) trimmed the deficit to 11-9 and kicked off an exchange of points until a kill and ace by Brown sparked a 12-3 match-ending run.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Echarte and graduate student Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) both recorded seven kills while Rozario added two solo blocks. Tolstova finished with six kills as May totaled 38 assists and three aces. Senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) led all players with 12 digs, followed by eight from junior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.).
- Hadley and senior Katie Albritton (Hutto, Texas) dished out 14 and seven assists, respectively, for the Mariners. First-year Hannah Tate (Spring Hill, Tenn.) collected 11 digs while Weeks chipped in two blocks.
- This is the second time in three years MIT and Maine Maritime have met in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Engineers are now 3-0 in the postseason against the Mariners with their own-regular season meeting occurring earlier this year during the MIT Invitational.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host NYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, November 22 at 7:00 PM. This will be the second meeting between both teams this season as the Engineers defeated the Violets, 25-21, 25-22, 25-10 on September 21 in New York City.
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