Williams Loses in Three Sets to No. 19 MIT

Box Score Cambridge, MA - Williams College (9-7) took on MIT (18-5) to open play for the New England Challenge. MIT came away with the win after three sets. 

The Ephs kept it within striking distance for much of the third set, with two service aces from junior Celia Adams helping Williams get off to a good start in the set. Although MIT used a 9-1 run to take a commanding 14-8 lead, the Ephs reeled them back in and narrowed their deficit to two points at 18-16 with a powerful kill from first year Helen Qian. From there, the Engineers went on a 7-0 run to claim the set 25-16, with three of their last four kills coming from sophomore Lauren Keller. 

The first set was close from start to finish; even though Williams never held the lead, their largest deficit was only five points, which did not happen until after the final point ended. MIT held a 16-12 lead midway through the set, but then the Ephs went on an 8-4 run to tie the game at 20 all. However, the Engineers proceeded to win the next five points to close out the first set 25-20. Celia Adams led the way for Williams on the attacking front with three kills in the set. 

In the second set, MIT raced out to an early 9-0 advantage and never looked back from there. While Williams won the next four points, including back to back blocks from junior Marit Hoyem and Celia Adams, MIT used several large runs of their own to continue to expand their lead, claiming the second set 25-12 off a service error from the Ephs. 

Reflecting on the tough loss, Eph head coach Christi Kelsey commented, "MIT is a really strong team and one of the best in our region for sure. We had some good moments but couldn't really find our rhythm tonight. We believe in our crew and know that they will be ready to go for another opportunity to compete tomorrow."

MIT leaders were: Lauren Keller with 15 kills, junior Emily Cheng with 32 assists, and sophomore Ottavia Personeni with 20 digs. Williams leaders were: Celia Adams with 6 kills, junior Lauren Kauppila with 12 assists, and senior Christina Conforti with 6 digs. 

The Ephs will be back in action at for the second day of the New England Challenge in Cambridge, MA for a doubleheader on Saturday, October 22nd against Springfield College at 11:00 AM EST and Babson College at 3:00 PM EST.