Box Score MEDFORD - The Tufts volleyball team overcame a 2-1 deficit in sets, as well as a 6-0 Babson lead in the fifth, to storm back for a 3-2 victory against the Beavers in the opening match of the MIT Invitational hosted by Tufts Friday night at Cousens Gym.
Junior Hayley Hopper led Tufts with a match-high 21 kills, posting a .349 hitting percentage. Senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel and sophomore Elizabeth Ahrens were also effective with eight kills each and percentages of .368 and .333, respectively.
Hopper added 24 digs to lead Tufts defensively, while junior Carolina Berger added 20. Kuhel led the Jumbos at the net with three solo blocks and an assist.
Babson was paced by 13 kills from junior Mary Donahue while sophomore Jenny Karnes and junior Alicia Wilde both added seven. Senior Brianna San Diego served three aces.
On defense, senior Kseniya Pulido recorded a match-high 25 digs for the Beavers. Sophomore Lorraine Mackiewicz led the visitors with a solo block and three assists.
Tufts jumped to a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 win in the first set. Hopper had five kills and Kuhel added two blocks in the win.
However, Babson took control of the match with 25-23 and 25-18 victories to lead 2-1. Donahue and Pulido dominated the second set with six kills and 10 digs, respectively. In the third set, the Beavers pulled away from a 14-14 tie with eight Tufts errors down the stretch helping Babson get the set.
The Jumbos would even the match in the fourth, building a 24-14 lead before sweating out a 25-21 final. Hopper had seven kills and just one error in 11 attempts (.545) for the set.
Into the fifth, two kills by Donahue and a service ace by San Diego helped Babson to a 6-0 lead. The Beavers led 12-5 after a Tufts attack error. However, Tufts would score the final 10 points of the match to win, including three kills by Ahrens. A Babson service error was match point.
The Jumbos improved to 2-3 with the win, heading into a second match of the night against Husson at 8 pm. Babson, who followed their Tufts match with another against Husson, dropped to 5-5.
Play in the MIT Invitational continues on Saturday.
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