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First year Hayley Hopper led Tufts with 13 kills and added three block assists
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SPRINGFIELD - The Tufts volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Roger Williams in five sets at the 2011 NCAA Championship Regionals hosted by Springfield College on Friday afternoon. The Jumbos move on to the second round on Saturday, when they will face the host Pride at 6 pm.
Fifth-seed Roger Williams (RWU) led throughout the first set and posted a 25-18 victory to take a 1-0 lead. After #4 seed Tufts pulled away for a 25-20 victory in the second set, the Hawks dominated the third set 25-12 to lead 2-1. Facing elimination, the Jumbos won 25-18 in the fourth set and then took the match with a 15-12 win in the fifth set. It was their fifth five-set win of the season.
Tufts improved to 25-6 overall and 7-5 in their NCAA Tournament history. Coach Cora Thompson's team is appearing in its fourth straight NCAA Championship, and sixth overall. Roger Williams ends its season at 28-4.
The Jumbos had three players finish in double-digits for kills. First-year Izzy Kuhel (Brisbane, CA) was most efficient with 10 kills and three errors in 26 attempts. Classmates Hayley Hopper (Carlsbad, CA) and Kelly Brennan (Burr Ridge, IL) finished with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. The Jumbos added eight service aces, led by three from senior tri-captain Cara Spieler (Santa Barbara, CA).
The Tufts defense had four players with over 10 digs. Senior tri-captain Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) accumulated 21 digs. Kuhel had three solos and an assist to lead the Jumbo blocking game.
Krystie Luczynski swung for a match-high 18 kills to pace RWU. Four aces by Marilu Gonzalez-Yanez led the Hawks' service game. Her 23 digs were also the match-high, and were supplemented by 22 from Kelsee Loche.
Match statistics
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