WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball fell by scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-15 in a 3-0 loss to top seeded NEWMAC foe No. 15 MIT on Tuesday night at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

The Engineers (21-3 Overall, 9-0 NEWMAC) combined for 42 kills in three sets with a .230 team hitting percentage. First-year Ella Zhou (Beijing, China) had a 12 kill, 11 dig double-double. Senior libero Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) led all athletes with 20 digs and junior Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.). 

The Blue (10-11 Overall, 4-5 NEWMAC) were led by nine kills and 19 digs from senior Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.). Sophomore Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) tallied 20 assists with 11 digs while first-year Natalie Dabrowski (Chicago, Ill.) earned four blocks.

The first set was a competitive back-and-forth, with Wellesley trailing 13-12 at the midway point. An 8-2 run put MIT in the driver's seat, until Wellesley chipped away with four unanswered points to make it 21-18. Tech regained its footing and closed out the set with a pair of kills from sophomore Jessie Trapp (Elmhurst, Ill.).

The Engineers opened the second set with an 8-2 barrage to gain the upper hand. The Blue dug deep, utilizing a 5-0 run to cut MIT's lead to a single point at 13-12. The momentum swung between the teams through 17-16, when the visitors rattled off seven straight points to put the set to rest. A final attack error made it 2-0 for MIT.

The opening parts of the third stanza were close, with the Engineers up 8-7 after 15 points. Tech slowly began to distance itself with multiple small bursts, eventually leading 18-13. The match was sealed with six points in a row for MIT, including kills from Zhou and Trapp.

Next up, the Blue remain home to welcome Westfield State University in a non-conference contest on Saturday, November 1 at 12:00 PM. Meanwhile, MIT plays at Endicott College at 6:00 PM on Thursday, October 30.