CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 9 MIT saw its season come to an end with a 25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19 loss to No. 11 Trinity University (Texas) in the regional final of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship on Saturday.
Daphne Gavros and
Kayleigh May represented the Engineers on the Cambridge, Massachusetts Regional All-Tournament Team.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 11 Trinity 3, No. 9 MIT 1 (25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19)
- Records: No. 9 MIT (29-4 Overall); Trinity (25-5 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: Trinity gradually built a 10-5 lead after an ace from Reagan Whatley. MIT responded with a kill by Ella Zhou, sparking an 11-6 run. A block by Connelley McWilliams and Lauren McCarthy along with kills from Marissa Drange and Taylor Starr created some breathing room. However, a serving error and an ace from May brought the Engineers within 19-18. The Tigers countered with six straight points to win the set.
- Set 2: MIT built a 12-5 lead after a kill by Claire Underwood. However, a kill by Drange kicked of an 11-3 run that put Trinity ahead. Five ties and two lead changes ensued until an ace by May gave the Engineers a 23-22 edge. The Tigers capitalized on a Courtney Pope kill, a Jenna Rodriguez ace, and a hitting error to rally for the victory.
- Set 3: In a tightly played set, MIT inched out to a 20-16 lead following a kill from Underwood. Trinity responded with a 5-1 burst as an ace by Rodriguez tied the score at 21. The Engineers replied with a kill from Eileen Sadati and a block by Underwood and Jessie Trapp to create some breathing room. Whatley cut the deficit in half with a kill, but back-to-back Sadati kills clinched the 25-22 win.
- Set 4: Trailing 10-6, a kill by Ali Gibbs ignited a 9-3 run that put MIT in front, 15-13. However, a kill courtesy of Whatley set off a string of seven unanswered points by the Tigers. The Engineers remained within striking distance as they narrowed the gap to three points on three occasions, the last at 22-19 on a kill from Gibbs. This was as close as it would get as Trinity used a hitting error, a Kendall DeRivel ace, and a Pope kill to pull away for the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Gavros amassed 37 digs, setting a program record for digs in a four-set match which surpassed the mark of 34 that was set by Arlis Reynolds '06 and tied by Katie Spielbauer '13.
- Sadati totaled a match-high 21 kills while Zhou produced 16 kills and 17 digs.
- Gibbs finished with 13 kills as Underwood registered 10 kills and four blocks.
- May tallied 50 assists and four aces while Sophia Song collected 12 digs.
- Whatley registered 13 kills and 15 digs as Pope contributed 12 kills.
- Jozie Dhayer notched 16 assists and 16 digs while DeRivel generated 16 assists, 10 digs, and three aces.
- Rodriguez had 20 digs and three aces as Annabelle Lanik bolstered the back row with 16 digs.
- McCarthy recorded eight blocks followed by four from McWilliams, Drange, and Taylor Starr.
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