Volleyball sweeps Wheaton
Engineers post second straight 3-0 win, now 17-10
sarang kulkarni—The Tech
In a NEWMAC women’s volleyball match, MIT registered a 25-7, 25-10, 25-19 victory over Wheaton College on Tuesday night. The Engineers improved to 17-10 overall and 5-2 in league play.
MIT quickly established a 5-1 lead in the opening frame, but Wheaton trimmed its deficit to 7-4. The Engineers responded by mounting an 18-3 run to capture the set. During that stretch Katie K. Spielbauer ’13 registered four consecutive aces on seven serving attempts.
Each side traded points to start the second stanza until MIT scored six in a row to go up 9-3 and force a timeout by the Lyons. Following the break Wheaton won two of the next three points, narrowing its gap to four (10-6). This was as close as it would get as the Engineers outscored the visitors, 15-4, to close out the frame.
Wheaton opened the third set with back-to-back aces. The Cardinal and Gray countered with five straight points which were matched by the Lyons after they called a timeout. Kills by Tatiana Berger ’14, Emma S. Gargus ’14, and Jessica L. Fessler ’14 gave MIT an 8-7 edge. Wheaton capitalized on miscues by the hosts to go ahead, 10-8, but then the Engineers recorded a 7-1 run to take the lead for good.
MIT used another 7-1 spurt to gain some breathing room after Wheaton pulled within one point, but Wheaton stayed within striking distance at 22-18. Hits from Rachel A. Hunt ’14 and Fessler resulted in match point but a strike by Wheaton extended the set. Fessler’s strike clinched the match on the Engineers’ next attempt.
Trinity P. Leonard ’13 paced MIT’s attack with 11 kills as Kristine A. Bunker ’14 posted five blocks, three kills, and two aces. Fessler finished with five kills while Kelly E. Schulte ’12 notched four kills and four blocks. Berger, Hunt, and Gargus each chipped in three kills. Spielbauer totaled 14 digs and four aces while Natasha H. Jensen ’12 contributed five digs. Sharon S. Hao ’14 tallied 17 assists and two aces as Alyssa L. Rothman ’13 dished out 14 assists.
Both squads will return to non-conference competition this weekend at the Hall of Fame Tournament hosted by Mount Holyoke College and Smith College.