|
Junior Audrey Kuan
served 11 straight points to open the decisive fifth
set
|
MEDFORD -- The Tufts University Jumbos rallied for a thrilling
five-set victory over the Williams College Ephs, 3-2 (26-24, 23-25,
19-25, 25-22, 15-8), in NESCAC volleyball action on Friday evening
at Cousens Gymnasium.
The first set was the most back-and-forth during the match as it
saw eight ties and four lead changes. Neither team built a lead
larger than five as Williams led 15-10 after a service ace by
senior Kate Anderson (Berlin, MA). The Jumbos fought back late as
senior Caitlin
Updike's (Manhattan Beach, CA) kill brought Tufts to within two
at 22-20. Tufts would tie the score at 22, 23 and 24 before
notching the final two points for the 26-24 win.
Tufts held the advantage for the first half of the second set as
they initially jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Jumbo lead grew to as
many as five at 12-7 before Williams made a run to get back into
it. After seeing the Ephs take control at 15-14, Tufts came back to
reassume a three-point advantage at 20-17. Williams then forced
ties at 20 and 21 before tallying four of the final six points as
the Ephs won, 25-23, tying the match at one.
The Ephs took control of the match in the third set. After a
16-16 tie, Williams would score nine of 12 points in order to win
the set, 25-19, and set up a chance to win the match in the fourth
set. Tufts responded by playing a fantastic fourth set, as it only
had one tie and one lead change. Williams scored the set's first
point, but the Jumbos took a 2-1 lead and never looked back,
building a lead as high as ten at 19-9. Williams did not go
quietly, but Tufts was able to force the fifth set, 25-22.
The momentum that Tufts had built in the fourth set carried over
into the decisive set. With junior Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) at
the service line, the Jumbos rattled off the first 11 points.
Junior Cara
Spieler (Santa Barbara, CA) contributed to the run with two
kills. Williams showed life in scoring six straight points of their
own, but the closest they would get would be five at 11-6 before
senior Nancy
Shrodes' (Manhattan Beach, CA) kill stopped their rally and
helped send the Jumbos to a 15-8 fifth-set win and the match
victory.
Updike led the Jumbos with 15 kills and 23 digs. Junior Lexi
Nicholas (San Diego, CA) chipped in with 13 kills, and Kuan came up
with 20 digs. Sophomore Kendall
Lord (La Jolla, CA) was solid with 44 assists.
Leading the way in defeat for the Ephs was Anderson with 17
kills and 18 digs. Both junior Aly McKinnon (Portola Valley, CA)
and first year Emily Baratta (San Diego, CA) finished with 17 digs.
Senior Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, CA) had a match-high 19
kills, while senior Emily Avis (Palo Alto, CA) recorded 54
assists.
Tufts is now 6-3 in the NESCAC and 14-6 overall. The Jumbos will
play their final conference match on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 pm
against Hamilton at Cousens. Williams falls to 5-2 in conference
and 15-7 overall. The Ephs will battle Bowdoin in an 11 am match at
Cousens.
Match Statistics
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