Release Courtesy of MIT Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. - A balanced outing by the MIT women's volleyball team helped power it to a 25-11, 25-16, 25-8 victory over Clark University in a quarterfinal match of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Tournament.

The top-seeded Engineers will host the remainder of the NEWMAC Tournament with semifinal action beginning on Friday, Nov. 6 and the title match occurring on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Alex May notched nine kills, seven digs and four blocks as Barden Cleeland tallied seven digs, five kills, four blocks, and four aces for MIT (26-7).

Amira Tranchell (Falmouth, Mass.) paced the No. 8-seeded Cougars (8-17) with five kills. Emily Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) dished out eight assists and senior Emily Visone (West Hempstead, N.Y.) collected a match-high 15 digs in her final collegiate appearance.

The Engineers opened the match with 11 unanswered points, with Joujon-Roche recording all three of her aces during the run. Clark picked up four out of the next six points to make the score 13-4 in favor of the hosts. MIT rattled off five consecutive points and eventually held a 24-8 advantage. Miscues and a hit from Tranchell extended the frame, but the Cardinal and Gray clinched the next point on a strike by May.

In the second set, MIT established a 7-3 edge which was quickly erased courtesy of four consecutive points from Clark. The Engineers responded with a five-point spurt which prompted a timeout by the Cougars. Coming out of the break, the visitors tallied a quartet of points which brought them within one (12-11). MIT countered with a 13-5 run to close out the game.

Clark used a service error and a block by Nicole Sullivan (Marshfield, Mass.) and Tranchell to take a 3-2 lead, its first of the night, in the final frame. The scoring was back-and-forth until the Engineers mounted a 19-2 run that resulted in match point.

Kristin McGinty (Vail, Colo.) momentarily extended the Cougars' season by striking an overpass by the Engineers. Hopes of a late rally were thwarted when MIT's Kate Kelly picked up a kill to seal the match.