CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 7 MIT women's volleyball team was the runner up at the New England Challenge after it defeated Middlebury College (25-16, 25-21, 25-10) but fell to Tufts University (25-16, 25-22, 26-28, 25-15) on Saturday at Rockwell Cage.
Kayleigh May and
Sabine Smith represented the Engineers on the All-Tournament Team.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- No. 7 MIT 3, Middlebury 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-10)
- Tufts 3, No. 7 MIT 1 (25-16, 25-22, 26-28, 25-15)
- Records: No. 7 MIT (17-4 Overall); Middlebury (14-7 Overall); Tufts (16-7 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Middlebury:
- Set 1: Knotted at 3-3, a kill by Eileen Sadati sparked a 10-3 run for MIT. The Engineers maintained a comfortable cushion as a kill from Miller Grimes resulted in set point at 24-13. Middlebury extended the frame courtesy of a kill, a hitting error, and an ace, but Julia Tolstova's kill secured the 25-16 win.
- Set 2: MIT won four of the first five points and stayed in front throughout the set. The Panthers did put together a late run as it trimmed the deficit to 23-20 on a kill. However, a kill by Smith set off an exchange of points as another Tolstova kill gave the hosts a 25-21 victory.
- Set 3: A kill by May sparked a 6-1 run before the Engineers pulled away for a 25-10 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- May directed an offense that hit .395 as she tallied 29 assists, eight digs, and four aces.
- Tolstova posted 10 kills as Sadati registered nine kills, seven digs, and two blocks.
- Smith totaled nine kills, six digs, and three aces while Grimes chipped in seven kills and two blocks.
- Sophia Song led all players with 15 digs as Jennifer Cen had three blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Tufts:
- Set 1: Tufts inched out to a 7-3 lead and later used a five-point burst to go up 15-8. Sparked by Smith's kill, MIT put together an 8-1 run that evened the score at 16-16. The Jumbos then capitalized on a serving error as they closed out the set with nine unanswered points.
- Set 2: The frame was closely played as there 10 ties and two lead changes. A kill from Smith and an ace by May tied the score at 20-20. However, both teams traded points until a kill, a hitting error, and an ace helped Tufts take the 25-22 win.
- Set 3: The third set was a back-and-forth battle as there were 13 ties and eight lead changes. A kill by the Jumbos gave them match point at 24-23, but a kill by Smith and a block with Cen gave the Engineers a 25-24 edge. A serving error led to both teams trading points until a hitting error resulted in a 28-26 victory for MIT.
- Set 4: Tufts used a 12-5 run to build a 17-9 advantage before going on to win the set, 25-15.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Smith led all players with 19 kills and added four blocks as Tolstova notched eight kills and 11 digs.
- May generated 29 assists, seven digs, and two aces while Song collected 14 digs and Adelyn Wyndham added eight of her own.
- Cen produced a team-high five blocks as Grimes registered four.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host Wellesley College in NEWMAC action on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 PM.
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