Women’s volleyball team places second in weekend tourney
Engineers return home from the Vassar College Invitational with a 3-1 ledger
The MIT women’s volleyball team compiled a 3-1 ledger as it was the runner-up at the Vassar College Invitational this past weekend. The Engineers (7-1) fell to SUNY New Paltz in the opener (21-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-13) before outlasting the host Brewers, 23-25, 25-9, 27-29, 25-19, 15-9, in Friday’s nightcap. MIT made quick work of its opponents on Saturday as it swept the College of Mount Saint Vincent (25-9, 25-13, 25-14) and Ramapo College (25-17, 25-16, 25-19). Nicole C. Gagnier ’15 represented the Cardinal and Gray on the All-Tournament Team.
In the five-set loss to New Paltz, Megan E. Gebhard ’17 generated a match-high 21 kills and added two blocks as Jennifer L. Astrachan ’15 recorded 10 kills and two blocks. Jennifer A. Glerum ’17 posted 10 digs, and eight kills while Morgan R. Stewart ’14 (Powell, Ohio) rounded out the front row with five kills. Tori L. Wuthrich ’17 compiled 23 digs and three aces as Lisette G. Tellez ’18 collected 12 digs. Allison A. Davanzo ’18 bolstered the defense with three blocks while Clare Farley ’18 earned three aces. Gagnier finished the match with 44 assists and 16 digs.
Against Vassar, Gebhard led the way with 20 kills, a .318 hitting performance, and four blocks in the five-set thriller. Astrachan posted nine kills and three aces as Meryl E. Gibbs ’16 tallied seven kills, a .429 hitting percentage, and five blocks. Glerum rattled off six kills, five digs, two aces, and two blocks while Farley paced the Engineers with 17 digs and five aces. Wuthrich had 13 digs, followed by 10 from Tellez. Davanzo came up with five blocks as Gagnier totaled 40 assists and 10 digs.
Glerum led a strong serving unit versus Mount Saint Vincent as she registered eight aces. Senior Angela Ha (Houston, Texas) tacked on three aces while Farley had two of her own. Rachel E. Parus ’18 tallied nine kills, five digs, and two blocks as Angie W. Boggust ’18 notched five kills and two blocks. Stewart racked up four kills, four digs, two aces, and two blocks while both Lara G. Markey ’17 and Gebhard chipped in three kills. Tellez anchored the defense with 16 digs as Lauren E. Uhr ’17 generated seven digs. Chloe C. Dlott ’16 produced two blocks while Gagnier registered 21 assists and six digs.
In the finale with Ramapo, Astrachan amassed 14 kills and a .423 hitting percentage as Gebhard rattled off 11 kills, a .357 hitting performance, and three blocks. Glerum totaled 10 digs, seven kills, a .333 hitting effort, and three blocks while Davanzo strengthened the front row with seven kills and two blocks. Boggust produced three blocks in one set as Wuthrich collected a team-high 14 digs. Farley and Tellez both had seven digs while Gagnier closed the tournament with 34 assists and nine digs.