Home | Championships | Schedule | Standings | Statistics | Awards | Directory
About the NEWMAC
Championships
Directories
Directions
Sportsmanship
S.A.A.C.
Employment
Admin Section





Oct 30, 2007

MIT Sweeps Mount Holyoke, 3-0, In Women’s Volleyball

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Nationally-ranked No. 25 MIT defeated Mount Holyoke College, 30-10, 30-19, 30-22, in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament quarterfinal match on Tuesday. As the No. 1 seed, the Engineers (33-1) will host the remainder of the tournament and square off with No. 4 U.S. Coast Guard Academy at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 in a semifinal match up. The No. 8-seeded Lyons concluded their season with an overall record of 5-21.

After trading points to start the match, MIT mounted a 14-2 run which was keyed by strong serving from Amanda Morris. With a 19-6 advantage, Lindsay Hunting’s serve set off another six-point spurt by the Engineers that put the game out of reach.

Mount Holyoke maintained a two-point edge during the early stages of the second stanza. Trailing 11-9, MIT won the ensuing serve and then took the lead on back-to-back hits from Kelsey Cappelle. The Lyons immediately evened the contest at 12, however, the Engineers countered with four unanswered points for their largest advantage of the game. Mount Holyoke closed the gap to three (16-13) on a service error, but it would not be enough as MIT captured 14 of the final 20 points for the victory.

The Engineers raced out to a 10-2 advantage in the third game. The Lyons slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually narrowing their margin to five (17-12). MIT responded by doubling its lead for a score of 26-16. After exchanging points, Rosa Marruffo’s prowess at the service line sparked a late rally that brought Mount Holyoke once again within five (27-22). The Cardinal and Gray won the ensuing point and thwarted the comeback with a blast by Anna Dikina from the back row. Emily Obert’s kill clinched the match and sent MIT to its 10th consecutive NEWMAC semifinal appearance.

Morris had a solid night for the Engineers as she finished with 24 assists, 10 digs, three aces, and three blocks in two games. Katie Rowe posted a match-high 12 kills and eight blocks as Barden Cleeland contributed eight kills. Cappelle notched seven kills and a .600 hitting percentage while Jenny Li added six kills on 13-errorless swings for a .462 performance. Carrie Buchanan led the way with 18 digs as Hunting chipped in two aces. In one game of work, Cassy Piela distributed eight assists.

Marruffo tallied 14 digs, five aces, and three kills while Kendall Burns recorded 11 digs and three kills. Kathryne Schwartz paced Mount Holyoke with 19 digs as Rachel West dished out nine assists. Amanda Trask and Chelsea Tracy rounded out the attack with three kills apiece.