Volleyball Beats Lasell, Now 8-0 in NECVA Pamidimukkala Leads MIT With .471 Hitting Percentage, Tech Wins in Four Games
In a non-conference men's volleyball match last Tuesday night, nationally-ranked No. 10 MIT registered a 30-21, 30-16, 23-30, 30-21 victory over Lasell College.
Both squads traded points to open the match before MIT (16-1) went up, 7-5. Lasell (7-9) quickly tied the game, but the Engineers regained the advantage on a service error. The Lasers generated a three-point spurt that resulted in their first lead of the night at 10-8. MIT responded with four consecutive points to get ahead for good.
Lasell remained within striking distance through the middle part of the game, at one point trailing 21-19. A strike by T. Scott Pollom '09 sparked a 7-0 run by the Engineers that helped propel them to a 30-21 victory.
In the second game, MIT established an early edge (4-3) that it did not relinquish. The Lasers continued to attack despite facing a 17-11 deficit, picking up three points in a row after a timeout to cut the margin in half. The Engineers countered by outscoring the Lasers, 13-2, to seal the win.
Lasell quickly went ahead, 6-4, in the third game and eventually extended its lead to 14-9. Both teams alternated scoring until MIT picked up three consecutive points to close the gap to 18-16. With the score at 22-20, a service error generated a five-point run for the Lasers, and the Engineers could not overcome the deficit and lost 23-30.
The Lasers held a 3-1 edge in the final game, but MIT rattled off four points in a row to take the lead. The game was closely played until the Engineers' margin grew to 16-11. After a Lasell timeout, the Lasers responded by scoring six out of the next eight points to cut the deficit to one (18-17).
Each squad scored a pair of points to maintain the one-point difference. A service error helped MIT extend its lead to 23-19, which prompted another timeout by Lasell. The Lasers picked up a point following the break, but strong serving by Eric R. Reuland '10 powered the Engineers to match point. Lasell broke up the run, but Pollom's strike sealed the match for MIT.
Praveen Pamidimukkala '08 paced the Engineers with 19 kills, a .471 hitting percentage, and 13 digs. Reuland recorded 11 kills and two aces. Pollom turned in a solid performance with 14 kills, a .391 hitting percentage, five blocks, and two aces. Michael Demyttenaere '10 registered nine kills and seven blocks while Ryan G. Dean '08 contributed 12 digs. Philip M. Rogoz '10 tallied 50 assists, six blocks, and two aces.
Serge Melnik led Lasell with 16 kills and one ace as Scott Penna notched 13 digs, 11 kills, and three blocks. Bryan Bobo posted 39 assists and three blocks while Joe Lipski added 14 digs.
Next up for MIT will be a 7:00 p.m. road match at Elms College tomorrow night.