CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 16 MIT women's volleyball team swept NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College, 25-9, 25-12, 25-13, and then defeated Worcester State University, 25-13, 25-13, 25-12, in a non-conference match on Saturday in Rockwell Cage.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- No. 16 MIT 3, Mount Holyoke 0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-13)
- No. 16 MIT 3, Worcester State (25-13, 25-13, 25-12)
- Records: No. 16 MIT (13-3 Overall, 4-0 NEWMAC); Mount Holyoke (8-7 Overall, 1-3 NEWMAC); Worcester State (4-14 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Mount Holyoke:
- Set 1: Leading 5-3 to start, the Engineers used a six-point service run by Ella Zhou to take control of the set and set the tone for the match. Zhou's run included a pair of aces to help push MIT ahead 11-3. Mount Holyoke briefly slowed MIT's momentum with a timeout, but the Engineers went on to scored ten of the next 11 points in the set to move ahead 21-5 en route to the 25-9 set win.
- Set 2: The Engineers continued to roll in the second set, taking an 11-3 lead following a kill from Ali Gibbs. MIT would hold leads of 14-4 and 18-7 as the Lyons never threatened in the middle frame. With the Engineers leading 24-9, Mount Holyoke held off set point for three-straight points before MIT clinched the 25-12 win.
- Set 3: The Lyons stayed with the Engineers early in the set, trailing 11-8 before MIT pushed ahead with four of the next five points to go up 15-9 after a kill by Zhou. MIT held a comfortable edge through the remainder of the match, as Jillian Amaro set up Jessie Trapp to make a 20-12 advantage. A kill from Maya Licznerski made the score 24-13 before the match ended on a Lyons' attack error.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- MIT's balanced attack was simply too much for Mount Holyoke. Zhou had a match-high eight kills but Gibbs, Trapp, Eileen Sadati and Claire Underwood each added seven, as MIT combined for a .446 attack percentage as a team.
- Kayleigh May and Amaro split the setting duties. May totaled 24 assists across the first two sets and Amaro dished out 13 in the clincher.
- Daphne Gavros collected with 10 digs, finishing in double figures for the twelfth time in her last 13 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Worcester State:
- Set 1: A serving error ignited an 18-6 run that gave MIT a 22-10 advantage after an ace by Licznerski. An exchange of points followed until back-to-back kills from Underwood secured the 25-13 win.
- Set 2: The early stages were closely played as there were six ties and one lead change. Holding a 12-11 edge, a kill by Sadati sparked a 13-2 set-ending run.
- Set 3: The Engineers held a small lead for most of the frame before going up 21-9 courtesy of an Underwood kill. MIT later reached match point at 24-11 on a kill by Jennifer Cen, however, a Worcester State block extended the set. The Engineers replied with another kill from Cen to capture the match.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Zhou racked up 14 kills and three aces while Sadati finished with nine kills, followed by seven from Trapp.
- Amaro distributed 35 assists as MIT hit .425 for the match.
- Adelyn Wyndham produced five aces while Sophia Song posted a match-high nine digs to go along with two aces.
- Gavros bolstered the back row with six digs.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will travel to Salve Regina University for a 6:00 PM NEWMAC match on Tuesday, October 7.
STAY CONNECTED:
