THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 3, Eastern Nazarene College 0 (25-11, 25-23, 30-28)
 
- Records: MIT (3-4), Eastern Nazarene (6-3)
 
- Location: Quincy, Mass. (Lahue Athletic Center)
 
- The Lead: The MIT men's volleyball team picked up a hard-fought 25-11, 25-23, 30-28 victory at Eastern Nazarene College on Thursday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Eastern Nazarene stayed close as two kills and a hitting error by the Engineers brought it within 10-8. Sparked by a kill from junior Riley Oh (Irvine, Calif.), MIT put together a 15-3 set-ending run.
 
- Set 2: The first half of the set was closely played as there were nine ties and four lead changes. Trailing 11-9, a kill by senior Phillip Johnson (Chandler, Ariz.) kicked off a 10-3 run that put the Engineers ahead for good. Despite the deficit, the Lions continued to attack as a 6-2 burst brought them within 21-20. MIT picked up three of the next four points, but a kill and a hitting error extended the frame for Eastern Nazarene. The Engineers thwarted the late rally courtesy of a block by first year Kevin Zhu (Dublin, Calif.) and Johnson.
 
- Set 3: After a back-and-forth start, MIT gradually built a 12-8 lead on a kill by Johnson. The Lions battled back as five unanswered points put them in front, 19-17. Five ties and three lead changes would ensue as a kill by first year Ryan Espinoza (Los Angeles, Calif.) and a Johnson ace resulted in match point for the Engineers at 24-23. Eastern Nazarene replied with back-to-back kills, however, a kill by sophomore Michael Rini (Huntington Beach, Calif.) set off an exchange of points until two more kills from Johnson gave MIT a 28-27 edge. A hitting error kept the Lions alive, but a serving error by the hosts coupled with another Espinoza kill secured the win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Johnson posted a team-high 11 kills while hitting .381 and recording four blocks. Espinoza finished with nine kills and three aces as Oh tallied 30 assists, a match-high 14 digs, and three aces. Graduate student Nick Gustafson (San Diego, Calif.) rounded out the Engineers with six kills, six digs, and three aces.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host Elms College in a non-conference match on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 7:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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