Feb. 2, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, MA - The MIT men's volleyball team posted a 30-22, 30-26, 30-18 victory over nationally-ranked (No. 12) Endicott College in NECVA New England action Thursday night.
The Engineers improved to 6-2 overall, but remained undefeated in conference play at 4-0 while the Gulls fell to 5-3 on the year and 2-1 in the NECVA New England division.
The first game was tightly contested, featuring six ties and three lead changes. MIT opened the frame with three consecutive points, which Endicott answered each time. Another three-point run by the Engineers was then repeated by the Gulls. After trading points, Tech established a two-point margin (9-7).
Endicott rattled off three points in a row, resulting in its first lead of the game. Both sides exchanged points, netting a tie at 11. The Engineers developed a slim advantage that was narrowed to one on two occasions, the last occurring at 17-16. Tech responded with a five-point rally, helping it gain momentum to close out the game.
Unlike the opening game, MIT kept a five-point gap between itself and the Gulls for the majority of the second stanza. The lead swelled to seven (21-14), but the Gulls scored six of the next eight points. Following a timeout, Tech pushed its lead to 26-20 and was able to hold on to the narrow advantage for the win.
Despite the setback, the Gulls continued to attack in the third game, generating a three-point run to cut their deficit to 10-9. For the next several serves, the Engineers outscored Endicott at a rate of 2-1, which resulted in a 16-11 lead and a pair of four-point scoring sprees completed the Tech sweep.
Praveen Pamidimukkala totaled a match-high 17 kills as Scott Pollom and Michelangelo Raimondi contributed nine and six kills, respectively. Bob Aspell had the best hitting performance for MIT as he finished with six kills on nine attempts for a hitting percentage of .667. Ryan Dean equaled his season-high mark of 16 digs and added a team-high two aces. Pollom paced the blocking corps with five total blocks while Jordan Wan, Dean, and Aspell each tallied three. Wan also finished the night with 42 assists.
Eric Hunter (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) posted a double-double for Endicott with 23 assists and 10 digs. Clay Ostrander (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville) tallied 12 kills, two aces, and a block while Dan Coleman (Millis, MA/Millis) notched a team-high 12 digs. George Chapell (Haverhill, MA/Haverhill) and Matt Keepin (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S.Mills) also contributed a block.
Endicott returns to Beverly Friday night to host New Haven University at 7.
