WESTON, Mass. – Mount Ida College ended their two-day stint at the Pride Invitational women's volleyball tournament with a 3-1 victory over Eastern Nazarene, capturing their first win of the year and running their record to 1-3. The Mustangs were defeated earlier in the day by MIT, 3-0.
Sophomore libero Kelcey Koolman (Bedford, N.H.) was named to the All-Tournament Team after an impressive weekend that she capped with a 22-dig performance in the win over the Lions.
MIT 3, Mount Ida College 0 (25-5, 25-7, 25-21)
Haley Paradis (Hampton, N.H.) led the Mount Ida attack with five kills on the afternoon. Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.), Molly Alkinburg (Port Deposit, Md.), and Alysha Dunbar (Quincy, Mass.) also added two kills apiece.
Koolman had nine digs to lead the Mustangs defense, while Chevona Markel (Torrington, Conn.) handed out a team-high nine assists in the setback.
The Engineers had seven players notch at least two kills, led by five kills apiece from Megan Gebhard (Howell, Mich.), Morgan Stewart (Powell, Ohio), and Kristine Bunker (Falmouth, Mass.).
Lauren Uhr (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Jennie Glerum (Redmond, Wash.) posted five service aces apiece and Tori Wuthrich (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) led the MIT defense with 10 digs on the day. Nicole Gagnier (Atlanta, Ga.) added 14 assists, while Paige Studer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) also had eight helpers.
Junior Hillary Kostner (Corona, Calif.) led all players with 17 kills as the Mustangs ended the tournament on a high-note with a four-set win over the Lions. Fedigan, Alkingburg, Emily Hutvanger (Beacon Falls, Conn.), and Nicole Batakis (East Longmeadow, Mass.) added five kills apiece.
Junior setter Nicole Peixoto (New Bedford, Mass.) dished out 36 assists in the win and added a game-high nine service aces on the day, and Lucianna Medici (Riverside, R.I.) added 10 digs to complement Koolman's standout effort.
Eastern Nazarene received eight kills from Dana Day (Coarsegold, Calif.) to go with six kills from Cayla Clinkscale (Winchendon, Mass.). Hannah Welsh (Derry, N.H.) and Leann Williams (Oxford, Pa.) also added four kills apiece for the Lions. Sam Losano (Elverta, Calif.) notched 19 digs on the day for ENC while Welsh (10) and Day (11) joined her in double digits in digs. Lauryl Berger (Laurel, Del.) handed out 21 assists in the setback.
MIT finished 4-0 for the tournament, the only undefeated team over the weekend, while Eastern Nazarene dropped to 0-4 to start their year.
Mount Ida will be on the road again on Wednesday, September 4th when they travel to Framingham State for a 7:00 pm contest.