COLLEGE
VOLLEYBALL FINAL SCORES
Tufts Invitational
Tufts 3, Potsdam St. 0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-10)
Tufts 3, Keene St. 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-12)
At Medford, MA
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Potsdam
State Match Statistics
Keene
State Match Statistics
MEDFORD -- The Tufts University Jumbos won their final two
matches in the Sixth Annual Tufts Volleyball Invitational, 3-0 over
Potsdam State (25-14, 25-9, 25-10) and 3-0 over Keene State (25-21,
25-13, 25-12), to win the championship on Saturday afternoon at the
Cousens Gymnasium. Tufts and MIT both finished with 4-0 records
during the weekend, but did not play head-to-head. Tufts was
declared the champion based upon their 12-1 mark in sets. MIT was
12-2 in sets.
Senior co-captain Dena Feiger (Long Grove, IL)
was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She averaged
10.6 assists and 2.9 digs per set. Junior Caitlin Updike
(Manhattan Beach, CA) was named to the All-Tournament team
after leading the Jumbos with 46 kills over the weekend.
Potsdam State could not handle the Jumbos in the first match of
the day as Tufts jumped out to a 9-1 first-set advantage. Through
the three-set sweep for Tufts, there was only one tie and there was
not a single lead change.
Tufts' largest lead of the first two sets was also the final
margin; 11 in set one (25-14), and 16 in set two (25-9). The only
tie of the match came in the third set at 1-1, but from there the
Jumbos took control again and built another 16-point lead at 22-6,
and eventually won set three, 25-10. Tufts reeled together sizable
streaks in each set, including six straight in set one, five
straight in set two, and eight straight points in set three.
First-year Kendall Lord (LaJolla, CA) led the
way for the Jumbos with 26 assists and eight digs in the match.
Sophomore Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) was strong
too with five service aces and eight digs, while Updike chipped in
with a team-high ten kills.
In match two of the day against Keene State, the Owls seemed fit
to challenge the Jumbos throughout as they held the first-set lead
until about the mid-way point. Once Tufts tied it at 13, they took
control and went on for the 25-21 first-set victory. This set would
be the closest of the contest with three lead changes and five
ties. Neither team built a lead larger than four.
The Jumbos asserted their dominance in the final two sets,
taking a 3-2 lead in the second set and never relinquishing it.
There were two early ties, but the Owls could not overtake Tufts in
the set as the Jumbos sailed to the 25-13 win. More of the same
followed in the third set with Tufts tallying the first nine
points. The Jumbos' largest lead of the match came in this set at
21-7, with the team eventually winning the match, 25-12.
Junior Dawson Joyce-Mendive (Minden, NV) led
Tufts in kills with 16, while senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson (Santa Cruz, CA) added 11 kills and eight digs.
The team-high in digs belonged to Kuan for the second consecutive
match as she notched 12. Feiger led with 34 assists and seven digs
of her own.
This is the Jumbos' third Tufts Invitational championship and
first since 2006. Tufts is now 16-1 overall for the season and will
next play on Wednesday night at Cousens Gym in the final home match
of the seasaon against Bowdoin at 7:30 pm. The Jumbos have now won
16 matches in a row after a season-opening loss.
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