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Wellesley Snaps MIT's Unbeaten Streak
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Wellesley College
ended MIT's undefeated season with a 27-25, 18-25, 25-15, 25-20
decision in a NEWMAC women's volleyball match on Tuesday night. The
Engineers saw their ledger move to 11-1 on the year and 2-1 in
conference action while the Blue improved to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in
the NEWMAC.
Wellesley quickly established a 7-3 lead that eventually grew to
16-11 on an MIT service error. The Engineers responded with a 10-3
run capped by a block from sophomore Kristine Bunker. After
trading points, a pair of miscues put the Cardinal and Gray ahead,
24-21. Kills from Caitlin
Laughlin and Kellyn
O'Brady in addition to an MIT error extended the frame
for the Blue. Junior Trinity Leonard put the hosts in
front on a hit that caromed off the Wellesley block out of bounds,
but the Blue capitalized on two errors and a strike from O'Brady to
take the opening set.
The early stages of the second stanza were a back-and-forth affair
as it featured eight ties and three lead changes, the last on a
kill by Amanda
Duritsch that gave Wellesley a 12-11 edge. A block by
Leonard sparked a string of seven unanswered points which put the
Engineers ahead for good. The Blue narrowed its deficit to four on
two occasions, the final time at 21-17, but MIT registered four of
the next five points to win the set.
With the score tied at six, Wellesley mounted a 12-4 run that
helped propel it to the third set victory. The Engineers picked up
three of the next five points, however it would not be enough to
overcome the deficit as the Blue closed the game with 5-2
spurt.
In the final frame, MIT had a 5-3 edge before Wellesley scored
five consecutive points and later claimed a 15-10 advantage. The
Engineers then replied with five unanswered points to knot the set.
After trading serves, a kill by Duritsch and an ace from Kaitlin
Bradshaw gave the visitors some breathing room. MIT
continued to attack and came within one on two occasions, the last
at 21-20 courtesy of a hitting error. However, the Blue responded
with four straight points to clinch the match.
Seniors Kelly Schulte and Cecily Joujon-Roche paced
the Engineers with nine kills, followed by eight from Leonard.
Bunker and Schulte both registered six blocks while
junior Katie Spielbauer led the way with 16 kills and an
ace. Freshman Nicole Gagnier totaled 30 assists and 12
digs while senior Natasha Jensen posted 10 digs and an
ace.
For Wellesley, Laughlin led the way with 14 kills as O'Brady and
Duritsch added nine and seven respectively. Duritsch chipped in
three blocks while Megan
Mills added two of her own. Traci
Hamanaka anchored the back row with 14 digs as
Vivian
Hu bolstered the squad with 11 digs. Isabel
Custodio dished out 40 assists in the win.
Both squads will return to action on Friday, Sept. 23 in the first
day of the two-day MIT Invitational.
Courtesy MIT Sports Information
