THE BASICS 

Score: No. 10 MIT (15-25, 15-25, 10-25)

Records: Emerson Lions (1-5) ; No. 10 MIT Engineers (6-2)

Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

Date: February 8, 2022

The Lead: Sophomore Luke Roehm paced the Emerson men's volleyball team with nine kills as the Lions were upended in a crosstown meeting with No. 10 MIT in three sets on Tuesday night at Rockwell Cage.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON 

Roehm: nine kills & one ace
Neiko Pittman: eight kills & one block
Bayden Slavik: 16 assists
Jackson Gordon: one ace
Bryson Beck: eight digs

MIT

Brett Allen: 13 kills
Nathan Levandoske: 11 kills
Max Turner: 26 assists & two blocks
Bradley Albright: three aces
Tommy Ogeka: 18 digs

HOW IT HAPPENED 

SET ONE 

• After Emerson began the first set down 5-1, the Lions were able to climb back into the set with three points on two Engineers' errors and a kill to come within five at 9-4. 
• Kills from Roehm and Pittman and several MIT mishaps helped keep Emerson within seven at 17-10 before MIT tacked on three straight points to push their lead into double-figures at 21-11 on a swing from Levandoske. 
• The Lions spread three more points through the later part of the first frame, the last coming on an MIT serving error to put the score at 25-14, but it was the hosts who sealed the set when Johnson sent down the winning kill. 

SET TWO 

• Out the gate of the season, the two teams started off the frame neck-and-neck, yet it was Emerson who  managed to stay in front by a margin of two points. With the score locked at 8-all, the Lions tallied back-to-back kills from Pittman and Roehm to snag a two-point edge at 10-8.
• MIT jumped back into the scoring mix with five points of their own to put Emerson down by three at 13-10. 
• The next three of four points went Emerson's way and used swings from freshman Ramsis De Los Santos and senior Rory Dobbins along with an attack error to inch back within one at 14-13.
• Just as Emerson closed in within one, MIT set off with an 6-0 spark to take the 20-13 advantage. 
• A kill from senior Josh Elliot broke up the Engineers' scoring at 20-14, but MIT registered the set's final five of six points as the Lions were down two sets after the 25-15 setback.

SET THREE

• MIT powered out a .684 hit percentage in the third set to Emerson's .174% as the Engineers ran away with the third frame, 25-10. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson comes back home on Thursday, February 10th with a GNAC rematch against Emmanuel (Mass.) at 7:00 p.m.