WALTHAM, Mass. – The No. 8 MIT women's volleyball team wrapped up the Brandeis University Invitational on Saturday by defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology (25-15, 25-19, 25-16) and Roger Williams University (25-20, 25-12, 25-13). The Engineers did not drop a set in their three victories at the tournament.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- No. 8 MIT 3, Wentworth 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-16)
- No. 8 MIT 3, Roger Williams 0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-13)
- Records: No. 8 MIT (3-0 Overall); Wentworth (1-1); Roger Williams (0-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH ONE vs. Wentworth:
- Set 1: Wentworth won the first point, but MIT picked up the next four and maintained a small lead. The Engineers gradually pulled away as a hitting error increased their advantage to 22-10. The Leopards countered with a 5-1 burst; however, MIT used kills from Eileen Sadati and Ella Zhou to thwart the comeback attempt and secure a 25-15 win.
- Set 2: Wentworth used an 11-4 run to take a 13-11 edge in the second set. The Engineers countered with a kill by Claire Underwood which kicked off a 7-2 run that put MIT ahead for good. The Leopards stayed within striking distance as setting error narrowed the gap to 22-19. The Engineers replied with back-to-back kills from Sadati and an ace by Sophia Song to capture the set.
- Set 3: The early stages were tightly played as there were six ties and four lead changes. Trailing 9-7, a kill by Zhou ignited an 11-1 MIT run. Wentworth trimmed its deficit to 18-14, but the Engineers wrapped up the match with a 7-2 run as the last two points were aces by Daphne Gavros.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Sadati led all players with 12 kills while hitting .400 as Underwood compiled seven kills, a .500 hitting performance, five digs, and three blocks.
- Zhou finished with nine kills, six digs, and three aces while Kayleigh May dished out 34 assists.
- Gavros paced MIT with eight digs, followed by seven from Adelyn Wyndham.
- Gavros, Song, and Ali Gibbs each earned two aces.
- This was the first meeting between both programs.
HOW IT HAPPENED – MATCH TWO vs. Roger Williams:
- Set 1: MIT inched out to 8-3 lead after a kill by Jessie Trapp and it later had a 12-6 advantage following a kill from Sadati. However, Roger Williams went on a 13-4 run to go ahead, 19-16. The Engineers replied with eight straight points as kills by Trapp bookended the comeback. The Hawks stayed alive courtesy of a kill, but another strike by Trapp clinched the 25-20 win.
- Set 2: Six unanswered points, which featured a trio of kills by Zhou, gave MIT a 13-4 lead before eventually going up, 18-8. Following a pair of errors, the Engineers used a 7-2 burst to secure a 25-12 victory.
- Set 3: A 16-4 run that started with eight consecutive points and produced a 20-8 lead helped propel MIT to a 25-13 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- For the second match in a row, Sadati tied her career-high of 12 kills as she hit .409.
- Trapp finished with a career-high nine kills as Zhou posted eight kills and eight digs.
- May tallied 34 assists, five digs, four blocks, and three aces.
- Gavros collected a match-high 14 digs while Song added a career-high 11 digs.
- Underwood bolstered the defense with three blocks.
UP NEXT:
- MIT returns to action on Friday, September 5 when it hosts the two-day MIT Invitational.
- The Engineers will kick things off with a 6:00 PM match against Brandeis.
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