GENEVA, N.Y.—The 16th-ranked Hobart volleyball team bounced back with a dominant 3-0 win over MIT this afternoon in a crucial UVC matchup. With the win, the Statesmen move to 19-8 on the season and 2-4 in UVC play, while the Engineers fall to 13-14 overall and 0-7 in conference play. Hobart's 19th win of the season is a new program record.

Hobart put on an impressive performance against MIT this afternoon, leading the Engineers in several statistical categories. The Statesmen put down 40 kills (.284) compared to the Engineers' 25 (.064) and tallied 45 digs compared to MIT's 28. The Statesmen held an 11-7 edge in blocks this afternoon and had a 37-24 advantage in assists. Hobart tallied the lone service ace of the match as well.

The Statesmen were led by graduate student Andrew Kim's 13 kills (.321) and seven digs. He added three blocks, one service ace and one assist in the win. Sophomore Daniel Sappia impressed with 10 kills (.318) and nine digs, while sophomore Noah DeLong (.048) and first-year Alain Malcolm (.500) added six kills each in the sweep. The duo chipped in 10 blocks and six digs for Hobart in the crucial conference win. Graduate student Benjamin Lincoln tallied a match-high 27 assists in the win and added six digs and two blocks to lead the Statesmen.

Grant Oh led the Engineers with 14 kills (.186), three digs and three blocks. Michael Rini chipped in five kills (.714), and four blocks for MIT. Riley Oh tallied a team-high 23 assists in the loss.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Statesmen came out hot in the opening set, putting down 14 kills (.310), while holding the Engineers to just six kills (-.034) in set one. Hobart found crucial points from its block as it combined for four total blocks and found four kills each from DeLong and Sappia to lead the Statesmen to a dominant 25-17 win in set one.
• Hobart continued on its momentum into the second set as it combined for 11 kills (.111) while holding MIT to a match-low five kills, and a negative hitting percentage (-.069) from the second straight set. Kim put down five kills and added one service ace while the Statesmen block continued to do its job, leading to a 25-17 win for Hobart in set two.
• The Engineers tried to slow down the Statesmen in the third set, but Hobart was able to maintain its offensive force, taking the match in three straight sets. Kim added another five kills, while Sappia added four in the third. Hobart's defense stood tall and combined for 16 digs in the third to close out the sweep with a 25-21 win in set three.

MATCH STATS:

• Kim led Hobart with 13 kills, hitting .321 through three sets. Sappia chipped in 10 kills (.318), while DeLong (.048) and Malcolm (.500) added six kills each in the win.
• Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position, tallying a match-high 27 assists. He added six digs and two blocks in the sweep.
• Hobart combined for 45 digs as a team and was led by sophomore libero Gavin Meador with 12. Sappia added nine digs, while Kim chipped in seven against the Engineers.
• The Statesmen held a 11-7 edge in blocks against the Engineers and were led by DeLong with six blocks. Sophomore Grayson Getz and Malcolm added five blocks each in the win.

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Saturday, April 5, for its regular season finale against Elmira. The conference matchup between the Statesmen and the Soaring Eagles is set for noon in Bristol Gymnasium.