CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 16 MIT men's volleyball team defeated the Illinois Institute of Technology, 25-20, 25-17, 25-21, in a non-conference match on Thursday night in Rockwell Cage.
Nate Toth tallied 14 kills, a .391 hitting performance, four digs and three blocks for the Engineers while Maximo Dowling registered a team-high nine kills and added four digs for the Scarlet Hawks.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 16 >MIT 3, Illinois Tech 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21)
- Records: No. 16 MIT (17-5 Overall); Illinois Tech (6-13 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Set 1: A hitting error gave Illinois Tech a 7-4 edge, however, a kill by Toth ignited a 14-6 run that put MIT ahead for good. The Engineers maintained a small cushion down the stretch, reaching set point at 24-19 on a kill from Alexander Garrett. The Scarlet Hawks used a kill by Dowling to extend the frame, but Toth secured the win with a kill of his own.
- Set 2: MIT raced out to a 9-3 advantage and had a comfortable lead throughout the set as a kill by Michael Rini captured the 25-17 win.
- Set 3: The Engineers jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but Illinois Tech battled back as a block by Bryan Evans, Jelani Kimoto, and Aaron Hanny gave it a 13-12 edge. After a brief exchange of points, a kill by Ryan Espinoza put MIT in front while an ace from Carlos Rijos gave the hosts a 16-14 lead. The Scarlet Hawks stayed within striking distance as a kill by Evans narrowed the gap to 22-20. The Engineers countered with kills from Toth and Garrett to reach match point. A kill by Dowling kept Illinois Tech alive, however, MIT clinched the match courtesy of a Rijos kill.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Garrett ended the night with 14 kills and a .435 hitting percentage while Colin Zimmerman and Jensen Fiskin dished out 18 and 16 assists, respectively.
- George Chang and Zimmerman both had five digs as Rini generated five blocks.
- Rijos led all players with three aces, followed by two from Espinoza and Braeden Baker.
- Evans finished with six kills and five blocks while Samuel Goh produced 13 assists.
- Matthew Michler registered 10 assists and five digs as Paul Henderson and added four digs.
UP NEXT:
- MIT returns to action on Thursday, March 26 when it visits SUNY Polytechnic Institute for a 7:00 PM match.
- Illinois Tech will host Edgewood University on Saturday, March 21 at 4:00 PM ET (3:00 PM CT).
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