Men’s Volleyball Falls to MIT in Season Opener

WESTON, Mass. – The offensive system of MIT was too much for Regis College, as the Engineers defeated the Pride, 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-10), Wednesday night at Higgins Court in the men's collegiate volleyball season opener for both squads.

Matt Ferrara (Haverhill, Mass.) and Drew Beimel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) led the Pride with five kills apiece. Sebastian Valdes (Diamond Bar, Calif.) finished with 10 assists, and Inelson Alves (Brockton, Mass.) contributed three service aces, four digs, and a solo block.

MIT (1-0) scored six of the first seven points of the match, and then the Engineers scored six unanswered points later in the first set, including two kills by Steven Timberman, to open a 16-5 advantage. A kill by Beimel capped off three straight points by the Pride late in the set, but a block by Tommy Ogeka and a kill from Skyler Kaufman clinched the first set for the Engineers.

The Engineers scored the first four points of the second set and then put together a 7-3 scoring run, led by Kaufman with two kills and a service ace, to extend their lead to 14-6. Down 19-9, Regis fought back, putting together its own 7-3 scoring run, led by Alves with two aces, a kill, and a block, to close to within six, but MIT closed out the second set on a kill by Troy Oliveira.

The two teams split the first eight points of the third set, but MIT gained control thanks to six unanswered points, led by three kills from Thomas Nelson. The Engineers would rattle off another six points in a row later in the set to increase their lead into double digits, and then the visitors would score the final three points of the set and the match on a kill by Timberman, a service ace by Sam Bockman, and a Regis attack error.

The MIT offense was spread out, as 10 different players collected at least two kills with no Engineer finishing with more than five kills. As a team, MIT ended up with 36 kills on 61 attempts with just seven attack errors for a .475 hitting percentage, plus it collected six team blocks.

Regis (0-1) gets right back on the court Thursday evening, hosting Eastern Nazarene at Higgins Court beginning at 6 p.m. The Lions are already 2-1 so far this season with victories over St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn and Mount St. Vincent last weekend.