CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Mount Holyoke Volleyball team shouldered a 3-0 loss to number 14th ranked MIT in NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) action on Saturday. With the loss, the Lyons fall to 5-6 overall and 1-5 in the NEWMAC, while the Engineers improve to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play.
After a back-and-forth start to the opening set, MIT rattled off six straight points to create a 16-11 lead. Mount Holyoke battled back, tying the set at 19 after a hitting error by the Engineers. A blocking error along with a kill from junior Abby Bertics (La Jolla, Calif.) gave MIT a small cushion, but a hitting error set off an exchange of points that saw Sasha Simine's (Kitchener, Ont./Cameron Heights Collegiate) kill bring the Lyons within 22-21. The hosts capitalized on a Bertics kill, a Mount Holyoke hitting error, and a kill from sophomore Alexis Groark (Huntington, N.Y.) to win the set.
MIT raced out to an 8-1 advantage in the second stanza, however, the Lyons trimmed their deficit to 10-5 courtesy of a kill by Jamesa Allen (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona). The Engineers responded by going on a 14-4 run as back-to-back aces from freshman Francesca Macchiavello (Lexington, Ky.) gave them set point. Another kill by Allen extended the frame, but a hitting error clinched the victory.
MIT recorded the first four points of the third set and never looked back as it recorded a 25-8 victory.
For the Engineers, Groark led all players with 12 kills, while Bertics totaled 10 kills, a .529 hitting performance, and four aces. Senior Alli Davanzo (Saint Johns, Fla.) posted seven kills and a .500 hitting effort as junior Carly Silvernale (Bellevue, Wash.) collected 15 digs. Macchiavello and sophomore Madison Lee (Hillsborough, Calif.) both earned three aces while junior Christina Liao (Warren, N.J.) registered 34 assists and six digs.
For Mount Holyoke, Allen powered the Lyons with nine kills as Cameron Graham (Sarasota, Fla./The Out of Door Academy) racked up a match-high 17 digs. Brayden Walden (McKinney, Texas/McKinney North) generated 14 assists and eight digs while Simine and Sarah Caggiano (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) notched three and two blocks, respectively.
Mount Holyoke will end a three-game road trip on Tuesday facing Anna Maria in non-conference action at 7:00pm. MIT will also be on the road Tuesday, but in NEWMAC action, facing Babson at 6:00pm.
