ITHACA, N.Y.—Senior Lulu McShane (Glencoe, Ill.) led all players with 15 kills and classmate Erin Gray (Oakland, Calif.) recorded three of her 11 kills in the decisive fifth set as Babson College outlasted Stevenson University, 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night inside Ben Light Gymnasium. 

With the win, Babson improves to 25-6 overall and advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in as many tries. Stevenson, which as making its 12th straight NCAA appearance, sees its year come to an end at 22-8. 

Junior Lauren Gips (Winter Park, Fla.) registered 12 kills and two blocks, sophomore Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) added 11 kills and Gray totaled a team-high four blocks to lead the Beavers. First-year Zoe Ackerman (Aurora, Colo.) dished out 32 assists to go along with nine digs, senior Ruby Reich (Atlanta, Ga.) contributed 15 assists and six digs and junior Tatum Stelter (Glendale, Ariz.) and sophomore Sophia Shaw (Novato, Calif.) finished with 15 and 11 digs, respectively. 

Sophomore Kyle DesLauriers (Damascus, Md.) recorded 14 kills, 14 digs and three service aces, senior Rileigh Kimball (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) contributed 13 kills and classmate Darian Dildy (Virginia Beach, Va.) chipped in with 11 kills and a match-high five blocks for the Mustangs. Sophomore Samantha Simmers (Bethlehem, Pa.) handed out 24 assists, while first-year Makala Thompson (Ijamsville, Md.) added 19 assists, 16 digs and three aces in the loss. 

The Green and White hit .387 and had 14 kills in the opening set and led by as many as nine at 17-8 before Stevenson used a 12-5 spurt to pull within 22-20 on a kill by Kimball. McShane stopped the run with a kill, Stelter followed with an ace and Allen closed the stanza with another kill for a 1-0 lead. 

Graduate student Haley Hoover (Lancaster, Pa.) recorded a pair of kills during a five-point run that helped the Mustangs go in front 10-6 in the second. The Beavers cut their deficit to 16-15 on a bad set by Hoover and were down just two at 20-18 before Stevenson used two kills by Dildy and another by DesLauriers to spark a 5-2 run to even the match at a set apiece. 

Babson led by as many as five twice in game three before the Mustangs scored eight straight points to erase an 18-14 deficit. The Green and White pulled back within two on a pair of occasions but a kill by Dildy and an ace by DesLauriers helped Stevenson finish off the set for a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The Beavers led by as many as four six times in the fourth before two kills by Kimball and another by Hoover evened the set at 20. Kills by McShane and Gips and an ace by Stelter pushed their lead back to 24-20 but the Mustangs responded with three straight points to pull within one before an attack error by DesLauriers forced a fifth set. 

The decisive set featured seven ties and six lead changes before Babson emerged with a two-point victory. Down 6-4, McShane and Gips sandwiched kills around an ace by Reich to go back up one, only to see Stevenson regain a 9-8 edge on a kill by Hoover. Dildy combined on two blocks during a three-point run that gave the Mustangs a 12-10 lead but the Green and White took advantage of three straight attack errors to go back up 14-13 and got a kill by Gray on match point to secure the win.

Babson will face either No. 22 Ithaca or Framingham State in Friday's second round at 7 p.m. 

MATCH NOTES
•    Thursday's match was the first all-time for Babson against Stevenson. 
•    The Beavers are now 5-1 this season and 3-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in five-set matches.
•    With 11 kills on Thursday, Gray has 307 on the year and is one of just five players in single-season program history to surpass 300.
•    The Green and White is now 22-2 this season when winning the opening set.