CAMBRIDGE, Mass.- The Mules delivered a great effort against No. 13 MIT in the opening match of the MIT Invitational but ultimately fell 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 18-25, 25-23) on Friday night. Despite the loss, the Colby Volleyball Team showcased their resilience and talent, with standout performances across the board. This loss marks the Mules' first defeat of the season bringing their overall record to 1-1.
In the first two sets, Colby took advantage of MIT's game errors to narrow the gap, leading to a close back-and-forth battle. However, despite the strong efforts from the offensive team, the Mules were unable to equalize and take the lead.After MIT claimed the first two sets, Colby rallied to grab the third set. The Mules surged ahead with an impressive 10-3 lead, and despite MIT's attempts to close the gap, the Engineers couldn't catch up, allowing Colby to secure the set victory 25-18. Riding on this momentum, the Mules came out strong in the fourth set, leading 12-8 in what turned out to be the most competitive set of the match. With 11 ties and 6 lead changes,
Brady Moseley and
LJ Grant played key roles in keeping the Mules competitive. Despite their efforts, MIT edged out a narrow 25-23 victory to close the match.
Nevertheless, Colby showed their strength from the service line, with Grant tallying 3 aces, and
Reese Loyd adding 2 more. On defense, Colby was anchored by strong efforts from Grant, Moseley, and Loyd, each recording 11 digs, highlighting their tenacity on the court. The blocking was shared evenly, with
Sydney Bopp,
Cyanne Jones, and Zahn each contributing 2 blocks. Sophomore Moseley led the way for Colby with a team-high 17 kills, followed by
Marjorie Johnson with 9 kills, while first-year
Ingrid Zahn contributed 7 kills, showcasing the team's depth on offense.
Gabby Grujic led the team in assists with 21, while
Jordan Lee added 14, helping to orchestrate Colby's offense and keep them in the fight against a top-ranked opponent.
Colby will look to bounce back as they continue the MIT Invitational on Saturday, September 7, with matches against Endicott College at 11:00 AM and Maine Maritime Academy at 3:00 PM.
