Box Score
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| Katie Kim had 12 kills for the Jumbos against Endicott on Saturday |
MEDFORD – Closing out arguably the most successful weekend of their season so far, the Tufts volleyball team handed Endicott a 3-0 loss at Cousens Gym on Saturday evening. The Jumbos knocked off Williams, the topped ranked team in in the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) poll, on Friday night. Saturday brought wins against Amherst, ranked fifth in the NEWVA poll, and Endicott.
The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead in the first set, and never looked back. The Tufts lead was as big as ten points, helped by five consecutive points behind the serve of senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel, moving the score to 20-10. The Jumbos would go on to take the first set, 25-19.
Endicott grabbed the lead in the second set, but the Gulls weren't able to keep it. The Jumbos took the lead 13-8 and never lost that momentum. The Gulls were able to score points throughout the duration of the set, but the Jumbos maintained the advantage and won the second set 25-16.
The third set was much like the second with Endicott grabbing the early lead but not being able to keep it. The Jumbos tied the score at nine and then took a lead with first-year Katie Kim turning in five kills in the third set alone. The Jumbos would eventually win the third set, 25-17.
Kim finished with a match-high 12 kills, with a hitting percentage of .421, and added seven digs to her efforts. Senior tri-captain Hayley Hopper had 12 kills as well in addition to ten digs. With the 12 kills, she reached 1,000 in her Tufts career. Fellow classmates and tri-captains Jessica Ingrum and Kuhel also contributed to the win, as Ingrum had seven kills and six digs, while Kuhel had five kills and three blocks. Junior Kyra Baum finished with 32 assists and first-year Alex Garrett contributed defensively with 11 digs.
For the Gulls it was rookie Elise Morgan leading the offense with eight kills while classmate Lauren Sheehan finished with seven kills. Sophomore Erika Trudon anchored the defense with 14 digs, and junior Alleigh Vandemerkt and sophomore Tori McIntyre both had seven digs. Vandemerkt took care of the setting for the Gulls, finishing with 19 assists.
The Gulls move to 11-14 on the season while the Jumbos are now 14-7 this season. Endicott next plays when they travel again to take on Eastern Nazarene on Wednesday. The Jumbos will be back in action on Friday when they open play in the Hall of Fame Invitational with a 7:00 pm contest against Westfield State.
