CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 7 MIT women's volleyball team won the MIT Invitational for the third year in a row after defeating Maine Maritime Academy (25-17, 25-23, 25-19) and the University of Scranton (25-22, 25-19, 27-25) on Saturday.
Sophia Song was named the Tournament MVP while
Kayleigh May earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- No. 7 MIT 3, Maine Maritime 0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19)
- No. 7 MIT 3, Scranton 0 (25-22, 25-19, 27-25)
- Records: No. 7 MIT (6-0 Overall); Maine Maritime (2-3 Overall); Scranton (4-3 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Maine Maritime:
- Set 1: MIT won the first four points and later built a 17-9 advantage after a kill by Julia Tolstova. Despite the deficit Maine Maritime continued to attack, as an ace narrowed the gap to 21-16. The Engineers responded by winning four of the next five points, claiming the set on Jessie Trapp's kill.
- Set 2: The Mariners raced out to a 6-0 advantage, but MIT battled back and used a five-point burst, capped by back-to-back Miller Grimes kills, to go ahead 22-18. Maine Maritime countered with a 4-1 spurt as a hitting error brought it within 23-22. A hitting error gave the Engineers set point; however, a kill kept the visitors alive. MIT thwarted the late rally courtesy of a kill by Jennifer Cen.
- Set 3: Tied at 8-8, a kill from Tolstova kicked off a 5-1 burst. However, the Mariners put together a 10-4 run as a serving error gave them a 19-18 edge. The Engineers capitalized on a trio of errors, back-to-back aces by May, a setting error, and a kill from Tolstova to capture the 25-19 come-from-behind win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Tolstova finished with 11 kills on 16 errorless hitting attempts resulting in a .647 hitting percentage.
- Cen added seven kills while May totaled 29 assists, eight digs, three aces, and a block.
- Song produced 10 digs as Adelyn Wyndham notched seven of her own.
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Scranton:
- Set 1: MIT gradually established a 13-6 lead following an ace by Brennan Fritts. Scranton chipped away at the deficit as a hitting error tied the frame at 20. After trading the next two points, a kill and an ace by May along with a hitting error gave the Engineers a 24-21 lead. A kill extended the set for the Royals, but MIT secured the win on a kill by Eileen Sadati.
- Set 2: MIT used a 7-1 run to create a 21-13 advantage before going on to win the set 25-19 on a Fritts kill.
- Set 3: The third set was a back-and-forth battle as there were 15 ties and four lead changes. Trailing 19-18, Scranton put together a 5-1 burst to reclaim the lead. The Engineers then won three of the next four points as Miller's kill tied the score at 24-24. A kill gave the Royals set point for the second time, but MIT capitalized on a Fritts kill and ace in addition to a hitting error to record the 27-25 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Fritts finished with 12 kills, seven digs, six aces, and a block while Tolstova added 12 kills.
- Sadati produced nine kills and a .375 hitting effort as May compiled 39 assists, two blocks, and two aces.
- Song led all players with 19 digs while Wyndham bolstered the back row with eight digs.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will travel to NYU for the two-day NYU Mid-September Invitational. The Engineers will kick off the tournament by playing No. 12 Ithaca College on Friday, September 18 at 4:30 PM.
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