Box Score
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| McKenzie Humann had six kills with a .545 hitting percentage for the Jumbos. |
BOSTON – The Tufts women's volleyball team is opening their season playing some of the best competition in the country. And on Friday night they proved they belonged in that category, upsetting No. 12 Eastern at the UMass-Boston Invite in the Clark Athletic Gym. After losing a heartbreakingly close first set, the Jumbos rattled off three wins to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season.
The Jumbos are now 2-0 on the season and will have their work cut out for them tomorrow as they take on No. 3 Christopher Newport at 10 am and then St. Benedict at 3 pm. Christopher Newport moved up one spot in the most recent edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll. Eastern remained at No. 12 and the Jumbos were receiving votes.
The Eagles move to 5-1 on the season and played St. Benedict immediately following their match with the Jumbos. They take on Christopher Newport and UMass-Boston on Saturday.
Senior Maddie Kuppe had another dominating performance for the Jumbos, finishing the match with 15 kills, 13 digs and four service aces. Senior co-captain Carolina Berger finished with 23 digs and two service aces. Sophomore Alex Garrett finished with nine kills, 14 digs and three aces.
Juniors Elizabeth Ahrens and McKenzie Humann took care of the blocking for the Jumbos finishing with three and four blocks, respectively. Humann also finished with six kills in 11 attempts for an outstanding .545 hitting percentage. Senior Kyra Baum and first-year Angela Yu were the setters for the Jumbos, as Baum finished with 15 assists and Yu tallied 23.
After exchanging points in the first half of the first set, Eastern was able to jump out to a small lead, and keep it, taking the first set from the Jumbos, 25-21. The Eagles had the lead early in the second set, but four straight points behind the serve of Kuppe put the Jumbos back ahead. The lead was short lived as the Eagles took it back and kept it for most of the match. The Eagles were up 24-22, but a kill from senior co-captain Esme Nulan, a bad set by the Eagles and two errors by the Eagles gave the Jumbos the 26-24 win and evened the match at one.
The Eagles jumped out to an early, 3-1 lead in the third set, but the Jumbos came back with 13 unanswered points behind the serve of Berger to change the momentum of the match and take a commanding 14-3 lead in the third set. The deficit proved to be too much for the Eagles as they put up a fight, but fell 25-15 in the third set.
The fourth set proved to be much of the same, back and forth. The Jumbos and the Eagles exchanged the lead only to be tied at 23 when a kill by Garrett, and a block by Humann and Nulan gave the Jumbos the 25-23 win.
The Jumbos have no time to rest as they will have their work cut out for them tomorrow morning when they take on No. 3 Christopher Newport at 10 am. They will follow that match with a 3 pm contest with St. Benedict.
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