CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In a back-and-forth battle, top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 12 MIT defeated No. 2 seed Babson College, 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13, to win the 2025 NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Engineers captured their fourth conference crown in five years (10
th overall) and will be making their 24
th appearance in the upcoming NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.
Ali Gibbs was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player for her performances throughout the week. In addition,
Sophia Song received the Laurels of Academic Excellence award which honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the NEWMAC Championship.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 12 MIT 3, Babson 2 (25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13)
- Records: No. 12 MIT (27-3 Overall); Babson (22-7 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: MIT won four of the first five points and gradually pulled away for a 25-13 victory on a kill by Eileen Sadati.
- Set 2: Following 11 ties and four lead changes, a kill by Devon Burke kicked off a 5-1 burst that gave Babson a 17-13 lead. An exchange of points ensued but the Engineers came within 20-19 on an ace by Adelyn Wyndham. A hitting error, a block by Hailey Fouche and Angelina Holm, and an ace by Sophia Shaw created some breathing room for the Beavers as they went on to reach set point at 24-21 on another Fouche-Holm block. A kill by Ella Zhou kept MIT alive, however, Holm replied with a kill of her own.
- Set 3: The third set was closely played as there were nine ties and four lead changes. A kill from Alisa Munro sparked an 8-2 run that put Babson in front, 15-11. The Engineers responded with a kill by Sadati that ignited a 14-6 set-ending run that was capped by a block from Sadati and Gibbs.
- Set 4: MIT inched out to a 6-2 lead, but the Beavers battled back and eventually built a 19-14 advantage after a block by Fouche and Holm. Babson maintained a small cushion down the stretch as a serving error gave it set point at 24-19. Back-to-back kills by Sadati extended the frame, however, a kill from Fouche thwarted the late rally.
- Set 5: A serving error gave the Beavers a 4-2 edge, but a kill by Gibbs kicked off a 6-2 run that put the Engineers ahead at the changeover. Once action resumed, both teams traded points until a Liberty May kill along with an ace from Shaw evened the score at 10-10. Following kills by Sadati and Fouche, a pair of hitting errors gave MIT a 13-11 edge. After its own timeout, Babson cut its deficit in half courtesy of another May kill. A serving error resulted in championship point; however, the Beavers countered with a kill from Isabella Allen. The Engineers then won the match on a kill by Gibbs.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Gibbs produced 19 kills, a .531 hitting performance, and five blocks while Sadati finished with 19 kills and a .552 hitting effort.
- Kayleigh May tallied 54 assists, 10 digs, five blocks, and two aces as Daphne Gavros collected 17 digs and two aces.
- Zhou posted 13 digs, seven kills, and three aces while Song notched 11 digs and two aces.
- Fouche finished with 19 kills and four blocks as Allen registered 12 kills.
- Zoe Ackerman generated 45 assists, seven digs, five blocks, and two aces while Holm racked up eight blocks.
- Shaw ended the day with a match-high 23 digs to go along with three aces.
- This was the third time both teams met in the NEWMAC Championship. The Beavers defeated the Engineers in five sets in 2014 while MIT topped Babson in four sets in 2022.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will learn about the location and its opponent in the NCAA Championship when the complete field is announced in a selection show on Monday, November 17 at 1:00 PM on NCAA.com.
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