CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 4 MIT women's volleyball team defeated NYU, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday night. With the win, the Engineers secured a spot in the regional final for the fourth year in a row and the eighth time in program history.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 4 MIT 3, NYU 1(25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (33-1 Overall); NYU (22-13 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: Both teams traded points until a trio of errors and a kill by sophomore Elise Echarte (Miami Beach, Fla.) gave MIT a 15-12 edge. The Engineers slowly pulled away as a kill from first-year Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) clinched a 25-17 victory.
- Set 2: NYU inched out to a 12-9 lead after an ace by sophomore Grace Nelson (Pasadena, Calif.). However, MIT countered with a block by graduate student Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) and senior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.) which sparked a 10-3 run. The Violets replied with another Nelson kill, kicking off a 9-1 run that resulted in set point at 24-20. A kill by junior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) extended the frame, but a kill from first-year Chloe Hynes (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) secured the 25-21 win.
- Set 3: The Engineers built an 11-7 lead, however, kills by Nelson bookended a 9-3 run by NYU. MIT responded with a block by sophomore Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) and Rozario, starting an 11-3 burst that was capped by Echarte's kill which claimed the 25-19 victory.
- Set 4: A block by Tolstova gave the Engineers a 6-2 lead and the hosts maintained a small cushion until a block by junior Ava Launsbach (Los Angeles, Calif.) tied the frame at 18. After trading kills, MIT rattled off five straight points as a kill by Gragg resulted in match point at 24-19. A kill from junior Jessica Spierenburg (Ramsey, N.J.) kept the Violets alive, but once again, a kill by Echarte captured the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Echarte powered the Engineers with 11 kills as Gragg tallied 10 kills and four aces. Rozario finished with nine kills while Gibbs generated eight kills and seven blocks. May posted 34 assists and 11 digs as senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected a team-high 13 digs. Junior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) notched 11 digs followed by nine from graduate student Ashley Margetts (Brownsburg, Ind.).
- Nelson led all players with 17 kills while Hynes added 10 kills and three blocks. Launsbach dished out 35 assists as graduate student Yooni Park (Cupertino, Calif.) amassed a match-high 28 digs. Spierenburg and senior Taylor Odom (Houston, Texas) both recorded four blocks.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host No. 13 University of La Verne in the NCAA Tournament regional final on Saturday, November 23 at 5:00 PM. This will be the fourth meeting between both teams as the Leopards won the first match up in 1983 which was the third-place match in the NCAA Tournament. The Engineers won the regular-season outings in 2017 and 2019.
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