Box Score
MEDFORD - The Tufts volleyball team had their work cut out for them on Thursday evening, taking on local rival and powerhouse UMass-Boston. The Jumbos jumped out to an early two set lead, fell in the third set in extra points, but came back in the fourth set to pull out a 3-1 win over the Beacons in Cousens Gym.
With the four set win (25-18, 25-15, 25-27, 25-20), the Jumbos move to 8-3 on the season with a 2-1 mark in conference play. The Beacons are now 3-9 overall with a 1-1 record in conference games.
Senior Maddie Kuppe was the leader for the Jumbos with 12 kills, 31 digs and three service aces. The Beacons had three different players with double-digit kills, as Colleen Koen finished with 13, Eileen Shi turned in 11 and Julia Murphy totaled ten.
The Beacons jumped out to an early lead in the first set, and the entire set would remain close. The Jumbos and the Beacons exchanged the lead five times during the set, but it was the Jumbos who were able to put the set away. After a UMass-Boston time out with the score 21-17 in the Jumbos favor, the hosts received two kills from senior co-captain Esme Nulan, and a kill from junior McKenzie Humann, along with a Beacon error to take the first set win, 25-18.
The second set would be the least close of the four played. Again, the visitors would jump out to a lead but weren't able to keep it. The Jumbos scored five points behind the serve of Kuppe to come back and take a 10-8 lead. Things would get locked up again at 11, but the Jumbos scored six consecutive points behind the serve of rookie Angela Yu and were able to work a sizable lead. Despite continued efforts by the Beacons, the Jumbos won the second set 25-15.
The third set would go to the Beacons. For the third time in the match the Beacons took a lead at the beginning of the set. The Jumbos came back and tied things at ten, and then moved to a 12-10 lead with some help from some errors from the visitors. The Jumbos maintained the lead for much of the rest of the set until the Beacons tied things up at 22. Fighting back and forth, it was eventually a kill from Koen, and an error by the Jumbos that gave the Beacons the 27-25 win in set three.
The fourth set was much like the rest of the evening. A Beacon lead to start the set and the score locked at many different times. With the score even at 19, the Jumbos got a couple kills from Humann, and a kill from Nulan ended the match and gave the Jumbos the 25-20 win in set four.
For the home team Nulan and Humann finished with nine kills, while junior Elizabeth Ahrens had eight kills and seven blocks. Defensively, Kuppe's 31 digs led the Jumbos, but senior co-captain Carolina Berger turned in 13 digs and senior Kyra Baum also had 16 digs. Baum shared the setting duties with Yu, as Baum finished with 24 assists and Yu assisted 16 times in the win.
For the Beacons, Koen, Shi and Murphy were the offensive leaders. Defensively, Shi added 22 digs, and Elizabeth Galvan had 23 digs for the visitors. Bri Sousa was the leader at the net with two blocks. Shi was the serving leader, finishing with three aces.
UMass Boston will be back in action on Friday when they host Wellesley for a 6 pm start. The Jumbos will travel to Maine this weekend, taking on Bowdoin on Saturday at 12 pm and then following that with a 2:30 pm face off with Keene State.
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