CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – When it comes time for the GNAC portion of its schedule, the Johnson & Wales University men's volleyball team will be well prepared. The Wildcats took on their second opponent ranked in the top 20, but couldn't come through with the victory as they dropped a 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-23) to #16 MIT on Tuesday.

The loss dropped JWU's record to 2-2. The Engineers improved to 3-0.

Recording his second double-double of the year was freshman set Cameron Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) as he posted match highs with 24 assists and 11 digs. Junior Brendan Baker (Providence, RI) also played well on offense and defense as he notched game-highs of 14 kills and four blocks.

The two teams were evenly matched with Johnson & Wales holding a 7-4 advantage in blocks. The one area where the Engineers had a decided advantage was hitting percentage (.198-to-.114) which included six more kills and four fewer errors.

The Wildcats could have just as easily won the first and third sets. JWU fought off two set points in the opening stanza and took a 26-25 lead on an MIT error. A pair of Engineer kills and a JWU error gave the hosts the first set. In the third set, Johnson & Wales fought back from down 22-20 to tie the match at 23-23. Another MIT kill and JWU hitting error ended the match.

Johnson & Wales makes its home debut this weekend when its plays host to the JWU Tip-Off Tournament, Friday and Saturday.