No. 25 Women's Volleyball Defeats Emmanuel, 3-1

BOSTON, Mass. – The nationally-ranked No. 25 MIT women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to 14 following a 25-12, 25-14, 17-25, 25-18 victory at Emmanuel College on Thursday night. Sophomore Lisette Tellez (Miami, Fla.) registered her fifth double-double of the season courtesy of a match-high 13 kills and 10 digs as the Engineers improved to 19-1 on the year.

MIT overpowered the Saints in the early going, jumping out to an 8-2 lead and forcing Emmanuel to call a timeout. The teams traded points in middle of the set, as the Cardinal and Gray maintained the six-point cushion at 14-8. The visitors would close out the set in style, as two kills each by junior Megan Gebhard (Howell, Mich.) and sophomore Alli Davanzo (St. Johns, Fla.) contributed to a 11-4 run, ending the set at 25-12.

The Saints came out of the first break with some fight, taking the first three points beginning with a kill by freshman Mary Shelow (Miami, Fla.). Tellez added four kills in a span of nine total points to lift the NEWMAC leaders to a 9-7 edge that they would not relinquish. Freshman Kerrie Greene (Alpharetta, Ga.) added three kills to help the Engineers run away with the set, winning 25-14.

Emmanuel began the third set with an offensive charge, jumping out to a 6-0 advantage, thanks in part to two kills by junior Kaitlyn Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.), leading to an MIT timeout. The break did not stop the Saints' momentum as they extended the lead to 19-8. After a kill by sophomore Rachel Parus (Fraser, Mich.) made it 19-9, the Engineers put together a small rally, cutting the Emmanuel lead to 22-16, but the Saints scored three of the next four points, to win the set 25-17.

The fourth set began much like the third, with the Saints taking the first three points and jumping out to a 9-6 lead. MIT responded with a quick 4-1 run, evening the score at 10 on a kill by junior Jennie Glerum (Redmond, Wash.). The Engineers took over from that point on, opening up a 19-14 edge and prompting Emmanuel to use a timeout. The Saints scored the first point once action resumed, but MIT showed a finishing touch and was able to close out the frame, 25-18.

Freshman Abby Bertics (La Jolla, Calif.) compiled 10 kills and a .421 hitting percentage as Davanzo finished with nine kills on a .375 hitting effort. Glerum posted seven kills and two aces while freshman Fiona Tanuwidjaja (Renton, Wash.) dished out 40 assists. Junior Tori Wuthrich (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) led all players with 23 digs and three aces as sophomore Clare Farley (La Jolla, Calif.) contributed 10 digs. Senior Meryl Gibbs (Bellaire, Texas) bolstered the defense with a team-high three blocks.

The Saints (4-11) were led by Shelow with seven kills and senior captain Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) with six kills. Junior Sarah Schemerhorn (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 12 digs in the loss.

MIT continues non-conference play on Tuesday, Oct. 13 when it hosts Mount Ida College in Rockwell Cage at 6:00 p.m.