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Box Score 2
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First year Hayley Hopper was a dominant hitter in the Smith match
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MEDFORD - The Tufts University volleyball team put together a pair of completely different wins while hosting action for the annual MIT Invitational at Cousens Gymnasium on Friday night. The Jumbos battled back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Endicott in five sets, and then blew away Smith in three sets. Coach Cora Thompson's team has not lost yet this year and is 8-0 entering action at MIT tomorrow.
Set scores for Tufts' spirited five-set victory against Endicott were 19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-14, and 15-11). Endicott dominated the first set, never surrendering the lead to the Jumbos. They tallied the first five points of the set, which included two kills by senior Elyse Barbour (Greenville, RI) and held a lead of as many as nine at 20-11. Tufts pulled to within five at 24-19, but the Gulls hung on for the first-set win
The second set looked to be going the same way as Endicott built an early seven-point advantage at 15-8 which included an ace from senior Sarah Allshouse (Berthoud, CO). First year Hayley Hopper (Carlsbad, CA) and junior Kendall Lord (La Jolla, CA) helped spark the Jumbo rally. Hopper had a pair of kills to bring Tufts within four, and then later in the set Lord had back-to-back aces. Hopper added another kill to make the score 22-21 Endicott, and then senior Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) tied the set with an ace. After Endicott regained the lead at 23-22, the Jumbos tallied three in a row to take the second set.
The third set was the closest of the day, seeing nine ties and four lead changes. Endicott led through the first portion of the set before Tufts took its first lead at 12-11. The set then had ties at 13, 17 and 18. The Jumbos recorded four straight points to go up 22-18 after another Lord ace and two kills by senior Cara Spieler (Santa Barbara, CA). It looked like Tufts would take the set, but the Gulls scored six of the next seven points to go up 24-23 and eventually win, 26-24.
Endicott led to begin the fourth set, 4-1, but Tufts never trailed after they took the lead at 6-5. The Jumbos scored four straight in a run that included three kills from Hopper and an ace by first year Kelly Brennan (Burr Ridge, IL). Tufts coasted to a 25-14 victory to force a fifth set.
Tufts kept the pressure on in the final set, and never trailed. Endicott did not give up though after falling behind 3-0, tying the score at 4-4. The set would also be tied at 5 and 6 before the Jumbos grabbed a lead they never relinquished en route to a 15-11 fifth-set win and the match victory.
Lord led the Jumbos with six aces, which is one shy of her season high. She also led the team with 56 assists and added 13 digs. Brennan was impressive in her first home match as she tied for the game-high in kills with 19. Kuan finished with a team-high 15 digs for the Jumbos.
First year Alexandra Gearin (Los Angeles, CA) led the way for the Gulls with 19 kills. Allshouse had 46 assists to go with her two service aces, while junior Ashley Norley (Sudbury, MA) had three aces and a match-high 25 digs. Endicott fell to 4-8, but then defeated Smith in the second match of the day to move to 5-8.
In the third match of the night, the Jumbos handled the Smith College Pioneers by 25-13, 25-16, 25-9 scores.
The Jumbos did not trail the entire match, and there was only one tie in the three sets. Tufts tallied the first three points of the first set, and then stretched its advantage to 12-6 after a kill by first year Kelly Brennan (Burr Ridge, IL). Junior Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, NY) had a kill for the Pioneers to pull them within six at 16-10, but Tufts answered by scoring nine of the final 12 points to take the first set, 25-13. Senior Cara Spieler (Santa Barbara, CA) had two aces to help close things out for the Jumbos.
Smith stayed close in the beginning of the second set, tying the score at 2-2. The Jumbo advantage would grow to seven at 16-9 after a kill by first year Hayley Hopper (Carlsbad, CA) and then another ace from Spieler had Tufts doubling up Smith, 18-9. The Pioneers scored three in a row, including a service ace from sophomore Sonia Brown (Silver Spring, MD). The Tufts lead would jump back up to nine though at 22-13 and the Jumbos would eventually take the second set, 25-16.
It was all Tufts in the third set as they shot ahead 11-1. The advantage for the Jumbos never shrunk below nine after that point. The largest lead for the Jumbos in the match was the final score of the third set, 25-9.
Hopper led the match in kills with 13. Spieler finished with 12 kills to go along with three aces, while Lord had a match-high 35 assists. Senior Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) finished with 16 digs.
Bell was the leader for the Pioneers with five kills and seven digs. Sophomore Hayley Bezubka (North Kingstown, RI) had nine assists for Smith. Smith falls to 4-4 on the year.
The Saturday bracket for the MIT Invitational has not yet been announced.
Endicott match statistics
Smith match statistics
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