CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 4 MIT saw its season come to an end with a 25-13, 28-26, 25-21 loss to No. 13 University of La Verne in the regional final of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship on Saturday. Graduate student
Consecrata Rozario (Cary, N.C.) and sophomore
Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) represented the Engineers on the Cambridge, Massachusetts Regional All-Tournament Team.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 13 La Verne 3, No. 4 MIT 0 (25-13, 28-26, 25-21)
- Records: No. 4 MIT (33-2 Overall); No. 13 La Verne (26-5 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: La Verne inched out to a 10-6 lead after an MIT hitting error. The Engineers went on to tie the set at 10 courtesy of an ace by May. The Leopards replied with a kill from senior Allison Whiteman (West Covina, Calif.), igniting a 15-3 set-ending run as a block from sophomore Zacky Coaston (Fontana, Calif.) and first-year Mariah Ray (Pomona, Calif.) secured the 25-13 victory.
- Set 2: A kill by junior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) sparked a 10-2 run which gave the Engineers a 10-6 lead. La Verne stayed close as a kill by sophomore Lauren Gott (Wrightwood, Calif.) evened the score at 17. The tight play continued until a four-point burst, capped by a block by Gibbs and sophomore Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), gave MIT a 23-20 edge. A kill and an ace by Gott along with a kill from junior Mya Ray (Pomona, Calif.) tied the frame. Another kill by Gibbs gave the hosts set point, however, a serving error coupled with Mya Ray's kill put the Leopards in front. The Engineers responded with a kill by Gibbs, which led to an exchange of points until a kill by Mya Ray and a block by Coaston and Gott resulted in a 28-26 win.
- Set 3: MIT inched out to a 6-2 lead after a kill and an ace by senior Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.). La Verne stayed within striking distance and eventually went up 14-12 after three consecutive kills by Mya Ray and a block by Mariah Ray and Coaston. The Leopards maintained a small cushion, but a kill from Rozario and a block by Gragg and Rozario trimmed the deficit to 22-20. A serving error created some breathing room for the visitors, however, Rozario responded with another kill. This was as close as it would get as kills by Coaston and Mya Ray captured the 25-21 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Gragg and first-year Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) both posted nine kills as Gragg added two aces and two blocks. Gibbs registered eight kills while Rozario finished with seven kills and three blocks. May totaled 32 assists and six digs as senior Ottavia Personeni (Bethesda, Md.) collected 20 digs.
- Mya Ray amassed 19 kills while hitting .457 as Gott produced 15 digs, 12 kills, and two aces. Sophomore Malia Capistrano (Eastvale, Calif.) and junior Vanessa Marquez (Upland, Calif.) both dished out 15 assists as Capistrano contributed 11 digs. Senior Madison Smith (Long Beach, Calif.) racked up 20 digs while Coaston and junior Kaitlyn Bloomer (Frisco, Texas) both generated six blocks.
- This was the fourth meeting between both programs as La Verne 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.
- This was the fourth year in a row and the eighth time in program history that MIT appeared in the regional final.
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