CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - In the first postseason meeting between both teams since 2013, nationally-ranked No. 22 and No. 2 seed MIT emerged with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 victory over No. 7 seed Smith College in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Tournament on Tuesday night. With the win, the Engineers secured a spot in the semifinals for the 31^st time in program history. Smith ends the season with an overall record of 21-11, a 13 game improvement from 2019.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Set 1: MIT gradually built a 10-6 lead after an ace by sophomore Emily Cheng. Smith recorded four of the next five points as a serving error brought it within 11-10. This was as close as it would get as the Engineers put together a 14-6 set-ending run.
 
- Set 2: The Pioneers inched out a 7-4 lead following a kill by Olivia Smith (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais). MIT battled back, eventually going up 11-9 on a kill by sophomore Allison Brattley/. Smith responded with a 4-1 burst as a ball-handling error gave it a slight edge. Two ties and a lead change followed until the Engineers put together their own 4-1 spurt, which resulted in a 20-15 lead. Smith countered with another 4-1 run, however, an exchange of points ensued until kills by Brattley and junior Lilly Edwards gave MIT a 25-21 win.
 
- Set 3: Trailing 5-4, the Engineers rattled off five unanswered points, capped by a block from sophomore Consecrats Rozarario and Cheng. The Pioneers stayed within striking distance, closing the gap to one point on four occasions, the last at 17-16 on a kill by Kinsey Cronin (Medford, Minn./Medford). Back-to-back kills from first-year Ella Gragg sparked a 4-1 run, however, kills by Ari Cross (Wauwatosa, Wisc./Rufus King) and Abby Sweeney (Spring, Tex./Klein) cut the deficit to 21-19. MIT registered kills from Rozario, senior Annie Bryan, and Brattley to reach match point. A kill by Sweeney kept Smith alive, but a hitting error by the visitors thwarted the comeback attempt.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Abby Sweeney (Spring, Tex./Klein) totaled 12 kills and a .308 hitting performance while Olivia Smith (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais) bolstered the Pioneers' attack with eight kills.
• Nathalie Pak (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) and Lilly Mearsheimer (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) distributed 16 and 11 assists, respectively.
• Gabby Beckman (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) collected a match-high 14 digs as Cross chipped in seven digs. Cronin led Smith with three blocks.

(Recap courtesy to MIT Athletics)

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.