MIT Splits at Endicott Invitational

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The MIT men’s volleyball team posted a 2-2 mark at the Endicott College Invitational this past weekend. Matt Hohenberger earned All-Tournament Team honors while Mike Demyttenaere broke the Institute record for career aces, as he surpassed the standard of 151 set by Praveen Pamidimukkala ’08. The Engineers swept SUNY IT (30-14, 30-19, 30-22) and nationally-ranked No. 12 Ramapo College (30-22, 30-24, 30-28) on Saturday, before falling to No. 7 Rivier College (30-26, 32-30, 30-22) and the host Gulls (28-30, 30-25, 23-30, 33-31, 15-10).

MIT (14-6) featured a team hitting percentage of .444 and a balanced attack versus SUNY IT. Alex Becherer posted eight digs, six kills, and two aces while Hohenberger connected on six of his nine hitting attempts. Demyttenaere notched five kills, five blocks, and three aces as Patrick Vatterott chipped in five kills and three blocks. Garrett Winther, David Thomas, and Benson George each recorded four kills while Eric Reuland collected five digs. Tim Lee dished out 21 assists as Caine Jette tallied 12 assists and four kills.

In the Engineers’ first win over Ramapo since 2005, Hohenberger led the way with 16 kills, a .650 hitting performance, and five aces. Demyttenaere totaled 11 kills and three blocks while Thomas finished with 11 kills. Vatterott contributed five kills and three blocks as Reuland had a team-high eight digs. Lee compiled 46 assists, five digs, and four blocks while Becherer registered six digs and two aces. As a team, MIT amassed a hitting percentage of .362 and did not surrender an ace for the second consecutive match.

Demyttenaere paced the Cardinal and Gray with 13 kills and four blocks against Rivier. Thomas and Hohenberger each added eight kills as Winther racked up five kills, five digs, two blocks, and two aces. Vatterott bolstered the front row with four kills and three blocks while Reuland picked up 10 digs. Jeremy Velazquez posted eight digs as Becherer notched five of his own. Lee finished with 38 assists, 11 digs, and two blocks.

Hohenberger powered MIT’s attack with 26 kills to go along with six blocks versus Endicott. Demyttenaere registered 18 kills, three blocks, and two aces as Thomas notched 17 kills and two blocks. Winther tacked on seven kills and four blocks while Vatterott totaled a team-high seven blocks. Reuland collected 16 digs, followed by Becherer (nine) and Velazquez (eight). Lee fell short of a double-double as he compiled 70 assists, nine digs, and six blocks.