CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In its final home match of the regular season, the nationally-ranked No. 25 MIT women's volleyball team defeated NEWMAC foe Emerson College, 25-13, 25-13, 25-15, on Tuesday night. With the win, the Engineers improved to 27-2 on the year and 8-1 in conference play while the Lions dipped to 12-12 overall and 2-6 in the NEWMAC.

MIT gradually established a 7-2 lead in the opening set; however, Emerson chipped away at the deficit as a kill by junior Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and a hitting error by the hosts brought it within three (8-5). This was as close as it would get as the Engineers took control of the frame with a 9-2 run before eventually claiming a 25-13 victory.

The Cardinal and Gray picked up eight of the first nine points of the second stanza but two miscues and an ace from freshman Moira Brennan (Glenview, Ill.) narrowed the gap to 10-5. A kill by sophomore Alli Davanzo (St. Johns, Fla.) and an ace from junior Tori Wuthrich (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) gave MIT some breathing room as it went on to mount a 9-3 run. A pair of errors along with a kill and ace by freshman Kelley Guerra (Randolph, N.J.) broke up the Engineers' momentum, drawing the Lions within 19-12.

MIT replied with four straight points as Davanzo recorded a kill and collaborated with freshman Kerrie Greene (Alpharetta, Ga.) on block while freshmen Carly Staub (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) and Abby Bertics (La Jolla, Calif.) teamed up for back-to-back assisted blocks. A hitting error gave the Engineers set point; however, a strike by junior Annie Hall (Okemos, Mich.) kept the Lions alive. Bertics quickly answered with a kill of her own to close the frame.

MIT raced out to an 11-1 advantage in the third set and enjoyed a comfortable cushion for the majority of the frame. Trailing 19-9, Emerson put together a 5-1 spurt that featured three Augustine kills and a solo block along with a kill from Hall. The Engineers countered with kills by Greene and Staub in addition to back-to-back aces from sophomore Clare Farley (La Jolla, Calif.) to reach match point at 24-14. A serving error extended the evening for the Lions but their own serving miscue secured the win for MIT.

Junior Megan Gebhard (Howell, Mich.) led all players with 14 kills and a .538 hitting performance as Davano recorded 10 kills and a .429 hitting effort for the Engineers. Senior Meryl Gibbs (Bellaire, Texas) posted a career-high seven digs and chipped in six kills while Wuthrich collected 17 digs. Sophomore Lisette Tellez (Miami, Fla.) amassed 15 digs and three aces as Farley finished with four aces. Freshmen Fiona Tanuwidjaja (Renton, Wash.) and Christina Liao (Warren, N.J.) dished out 20 and 17 assists, respectively.

Augustine and Guerra paced Emerson with six kills apiece as sophomore Sam Harton (Cartersville, Ga.) racked up a match-high 18 digs. Brennan totaled nine assists and six digs while sophomore Elaine Nichols (Bountiful, Utah) contributed eight assists of her own.

Both squads will close out the regular season against conference opponents on Saturday, Oct. 31. MIT will travel to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy while the Lions will host Clark University.