BABSON PARK, Mass.—No. 16 MIT overcame early deficits in both the first and third sets on the way to sweeping Babson College, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's volleyball action on Tuesday night inside Staake Gymnasium. 

Babson, which had its 10-match winning streak snapped, is now 14-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play. MIT won its ninth consecutive outings to improve to 17-3 overall and 8-0 in the NEWMAC. 

Senior Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) hit .381 and recorded nine kills, while junior Hailey Fouche (Montclair, N.J.) and sophomore Angelina Holm (Denver, Colo.) each contributed six kills and three blocks for the Beavers. Junior Allison Molendyk (Danville, Calif.) also had six kills over the first two sets, classmate Zoe Ackerman (Aurora, Colo.) provided 30 assists and 10 digs, and senior Sophia Shaw (Novato, Calif.) tied for match-high honors with 14 digs in the loss. 

First-year Ella Zhou (Beijing, China) led all players with 11 kills, junior Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) totaled 10 kills and four blocks, and senior Claire Underwood (Yorba Linda, Calif.) chipped in with five kills and a match-high six blocks to pace the Engineers. Junior Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) handed out 25 assists and senior Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) had 14 digs in the victory. 

The Green and White used two kills apiece by Holm and first-year Ailsa Munro (Sylmar, Calif.) as well as aces by Ackerman and Shaw to build a 10-4 advantage in the opening set. The Beavers were up 17-13 after a block by Molendyk and Holm but MIT answered with seven consecutive points, including back-to-back kills by Sadati and a block by Underwood and sophomore Jessie Trapp (Elmhurst, Ill.) to go in front 20-17. The hosts trimmed their deficit to 22-20 on a kill by Allen only to see the Engineers recorded three straight kills to end the stanza. 

Babson battled back from an early five-point deficit to pull even three times before the Engineers closed out game two with a late run. Zhou broke a 19-all deadlock with a kill, Senior Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) made it 22-20 with another kill two points later, and the visitors got a kill and a block from Sadati after the teams traded service errors for a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The Green and White scored five straight points on the serve of Ackerman to start the third set and got nine combined kills from Allen and Fouche to forge a 17-13 advantage. As it had in game one, MIT rattled off seven consecutive points, including a pair of kills by Sadati and back-to-back aces by May to go in front for good. 

The Beavers pulled within 20-19 on a kill by Fouche and an error by the visitors but Underwood answered with a kill, Zhou followed with an ace and the Engineers would not allow the hosts to get closer than two the rest of the way. 

Both teams will begin play in the New England Challenge on Friday at 7 p.m. in Springfield, Mass., as Babson takes on Middlebury while MIT meets Tufts. 

MATCH NOTES
•    The Beavers, who had won five of their previous six matchups against MIT at home, have dropped four straight matches in the all-time series. 
•    Babson dropped the opening set for just the third time in 18 matches this season on Tuesday night.
•    Both the Beavers (.171) and MIT (.184) finished with their fourth lowest hitting percentage of the season in Tuesday's match.
•    Tuesday's setback marked just the fourth time in the last 37 matches that Babson has lost inside Staake Gymnasium.