MIT OUTLASTS EMMANUEL, 3-2
March 19, 2009
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In MIT’s final home match of the regular season, the Engineers Men’s Volleyball Team defeated Emmanuel College, 30-24, 30-26, 23-30, 22-30, 15-7, in a thrilling non-conference tilt on Thursday night. After dropping the first two sets, the Saints rallied to win the next two and tie the match at 2-2. MIT powered past Emmanuel in the tie-breaker and came away with the 3-2 win. With the win, the Engineers improved to 23-11, while the Saints’ ledger lowered to 15-10 on the year.
Emmanuel maintained a small lead throughout the early stages of the opening frame as an ace by freshman Tim Ramistella (Westport, Conn.) put the Saints up, 14-10. MIT responded with a 7-3 spurt, capitalizing on a pair of hitting errors to even the game at 17. Following five ties and a lead change that moved the score to 22, a back row hit from Eric Reuland and a kill by Scott Pollom ignited an 8-2 spurt that closed out the set for the Engineers (30-24).
The Cardinal and Gray carried the momentum into the second stanza, as the Engineers established a 15-8 advantage. The Saints continued to attack, eventually narrowing the gap to two at 23-21 on a kill by Michael Townsend (Beaverdam, Va.). MIT recorded four unanswered points to gain some breathing room. However, Emmanuel picked up four out the next five, the last on a block by Townsend and Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.), to bring it within three, 28-25. A blast by David Thomas ended the Saints’ hopes of extending the late rally as each side traded points to wrap up the game (30-26).
The momentum shifted towards the Saints, as they registered a 14-9 lead in the third frame. MIT countered by scoring eight out of the next 11 points to even the game at 17. A kill by Emmanuel’s Matt Salvi (Trumbull, Conn.) sparked a 13-6 run that sealed the game. During that stretch the Engineers narrowed the gap to two on a pair of occasions, but the Saints controlled the tempo en route to the win (30-23).
Emmanuel had the upper hand in the fourth game as it fought off four ties before taking an 18-14 lead on a block by Salvi and rookie Alexander Petty (Wayland, Mass.). Following its own timeout, MIT recorded a 5-2 spurt that brought it within one point at 20-19. This was as close as the Engineers would get as the Saints converted miscues by MIT to force an extra frame. Emmanuel took the fourth set, 30-22.
A trio of errors helped MIT notch a 3-1 edge, but Emmanuel picked up the next three points with Rabaino registering the go-ahead kill. The Engineers responded with a 5-1 run, as a kill and an ace by Michael Demyttenaere powered them to the changeover. Both squads exchanged points following the break, with a kill from Townsend brining the Saints within three (10-7). Undeterred, MIT rattled off the final five points as a block by Pollom and Tim Lee clinched the match.
For MIT, Thomas tallied a career-high 23 kills while Demyttenaere posted 12 kills and two aces. Pollom finished with eight kills, seven blocks, and two aces as Jeremy Velazquez notched seven digs and three aces. Eugene Jang collected nine digs as Lee totaled 50 assists and nine digs.
For the Saints, sophomore Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) registered a double-double for the Saints, amassing 20 kills and 15 digs, to go along with two aces. Townsend had 16 kills and sophomore libero Jacob DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) anchored the defense with 23 digs. Salvi rounded out the squad with 12 kills and four blocks, while Petty notched 3 kills and 6 blocks. Junior setter Taylor Lowe (Malibu, Calif.) dished out 53 assists for the visitors.
Both squads will continue action on Saturday, March 21st. MIT will close out its regular season with a tri-match at Albertus Magnus College that will include Mount Ida College. Emmanuel will also be competing in a tri-match, hosting Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Johnson & Wales University and non-conference opponent, SUNY New Paltz. Emmanuel plays at 12pm and 4pm on Saturday.
(Courtesy of MIT Sports Information)