No. 15 MIT Sweeps Blue Volleyball In Key NEWMAC Match-up

WELLESLEY, Mass. – No. 15 MIT swept to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-16) victory over Wellesley College volleyball in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Tuesday night at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

In a match-up between the only two remaining undefeated teams in the conference standings, the Engineers came away with a convincing sweep, improving to 8-0 in the NEWMAC and 22-1 overall. Wellesley sees the team's 12 match win streak come to end with the Blue's first defeat since September 9 and is now 14-4 overall and 8-1 in conference play.

Junior Abby Bertics (La Jolla, Calif.) put down 14 kills to lead MIT, while senior Alli Davanzo (Saint Johns, Fla.) and sophomore Shea Landeene (Phoenix, Ariz.) each chipped in with nine. First year setter Andie Maloney (Manhatten Beach, Calif.) earned match-high honors with 33 assists, pacing an MIT attack that hit .215 on the evening. Junior libero Carly Silvernale (Bellevue, Wash.) finished with a match-best 16 digs. MIT also got 11 digs from senior Clare Farley (La Jolla, Calif.) and nine digs from sophomore Madison Lee (Hillsborough, Calif.).

The Blue got seven kills from junior Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.), six kills from first year Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) and five kills from first year Darina Postupaka (Tinley Park, Ill.) but struggled to find a rhythm on offense in the match, as setter Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) finished with just 22 assists. Junior libero Samantha Hoang (Elk Grove, Calif.) tallied 14 digs to lead the Blue in the back row. 

MIT grabbed an 8-4 lead before the Blue scored a point in the opening set, as the visitors shook off a pair of early service errors to take an early lead. The Engineers never trailed in the opening game, as the Blue only totaled four kills en route to the setback. MIT extended the early lead to 18-10 and 20-12, before closing out the 11-point victory, 25-14.  

The second set was a different story, as the teams played to 12 tie scores after the Engineers rallied from a 10-6 deficit to knot the game. Play then went back-and-forth, with Wellesley briefly taking leads of 14-12 and 17-15, before a kill from Li tied the match at 23-all late in the game. However, back-to-back kills from Bertics and senior Lisette Tellez (Miami, Fla.) put the Blue in a 2-0 hole, as MIT took a 25-23 win.

MIT never trailed in the third set, as they closed out the match with a 25-16 win. Wellesley trailed by two, 13-11, at the midway point of the set, but MIT scored four the next five points to take a 17-12 lead. Wellesley added just four points in the remainder of the match, as MIT ended the night on a kill from Bertics.

Wellesley will look to bounce back at Amherst on Friday, October 20, at 7:00 PM on the first day of the Hall of Fame Invitational. MIT will also play Friday at 7:00 PM, when they take on Tufts on the opening night of the New England Challenge at Williams College.