PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In its opening match of the two-day Carnegie Mellon Quad Sponsored By Doubletree Downtown, the No. 7 MIT women's volleyball team defeated the host Tartans, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 16-14, on Friday night.
Daphne Gavros led all players with a career-high 28 digs.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 7 MIT 3, Carnegie Mellon 2 (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 16-14)
- Records: No. 7 MIT (7-0 Overall); Carnegie Mellon (7-2 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: The early stages featured 11 ties and three lead changes until a five-point burst gave MIT a 15-11 edge. Eileen Sadati started the spurt with a kill and capped it with back-to-back aces while Ella Zhou produced a kill and a block with Ali Gibbs. The Engineers maintained their small lead as a serving error gave them set point at 24-20. Carnegie Mellon claimed the next three points, however, a kill by Claire Underwood stopped the late rally.
- Set 2: The Tartans gradually built a 13-6 advantage, however, MIT put together a 16-6 run that resulted in a 22-19 lead. Both teams traded points until a kill from Sadati secured the 25-22 win.
- Set 3: Carnegie Mellon took a 9-5 lead and stayed in front until a trio of kills by Sadati gave the Engineers a 15-14 edge. The hosts produced a kill following their own timeout, but Sadati responded with a kill and an ace while Zhou recorded a kill, making the score 18-15. The Tartans countered with a 7-2 run to reclaim the lead. A serving error brought MIT within 22-21, however, Carnegie Mellon capitalized on a block, a hitting error, and a kill to capture the victory.
- Set 4: There were seven ties and four lead changes until kills by Jessie Trapp and Sadati gave the Engineers a 14-12 edge. The Tartans replied with an 8-2 run, but MIT narrowed the gap to two points on two occasions, the last at 22-20 on a kill from Gibbs. Carnegie Mellon followed with three straight points to win the set.
- Set 5: MIT won five of the first six points, but two blocks and two miscues helped the Tartans even the score at 5-5. Both teams exchanged points until a kill by Gibbs gave the Engineers an 8-6 lead at the changeover. A block by Kayleigh May and Gibbs along with a hitting error increased the cushion, however, Carnegie Mellon stayed close before generating a 4-1 burst that knotted the frame at 14. Zhou responded with a kill and a block with Gibbs to clinch the 16-14 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Sadati paced MIT with 18 kills and a match-high five aces as Gibbs posted 12 kills and five blocks.
- Zhou finished with 14 kills and 10 digs, resulting in her second double-double of the season.
- Trapp produced 11 kills while May registered a career-high 52 assists to go along with four blocks.
- Sophia Song bolstered the back row with a career-high 13 digs.
- The match featured 33 ties and 15 lead changes.
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will wrap up the Carnegie Mellon Quad Sponsored By Doubletree Downtown with two matches on Saturday, September 13. The Engineers will play No. 4 Johns Hopkins University at 1:00 PM and then No. 20 Ithaca College at 3:00 PM.
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