Box Score 
BRUNSWICK, Maine - In Friday night's NESCAC Volleyball Championship quarterfinal hosted by top-seeded Bowdoin College, the #3 seeded Jumbos defeated #6 seed Williams College in a three-set match lasting less than an hour and a half. Tufts took a tightly contested first set by a score of 26-24, before dominating 25-12 in the second set, and concluding the match with a 25-21 third-set win.
The Jumbos (18-4) maintained their red-hot form, tallying their ninth straight victory against an Ephs (13-7) team they had lost to in five sets earlier in the regular-season. After recording 12 kills in her previous encounter with the Ephs, sophomore Rileigh Farragher (pictured) totaled eight kills with zero errors on the night out of sixteen total attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. All-American Cate Desler ended the match with eight kills, followed by Jennifer Ryan and Jennelle Yarwood who tallied seven kills apiece. Tufts hit .300 as a team.
The first set was nip and tuck to the 26th point, with the largest lead being four points throughout the first frame. The Jumbos led 12-8, with the Ephs battling back to even the score at 18. After a Williams service error, the Jumbos went on to win three more points before forcing a Williams timeout. A kill by Grace Legris preceded a kill by Desler that bounded off of a Williams player and into the stands to conclude the first set.
With momentum from this first-set victory, the Jumbos commenced the second set on a 5-0 run. Ahead 11-8, Maddie Yu took service and helped the Jumbos win six straight points, picking up a service ace along the way. Legris later led a run of her own, holding serve for four consecutive points. During the second set, the Jumbos outhit the Ephs .348 to -.120, forcing Williams into seven errors on only four kills.
Yu started on the service line for what would be a much more competitive third set. The two teams battled to 10-10, before Legris had two kills in four points, putting the Jumbos ahead 13-11. Maya Lightfoot shined towards the end of the match with a solo block and a shared block with Jennifer Ryan, before recording a kill on a ball assisted by Rileigh Farragher to clinch the match.
Defensively, three solo blocks by Legris and two solo blocks with two assists by Ryan led the Jumbos. Stephanie Lee finished with 16 digs.
Celia Adams recorded a match-high nine kills for the Ephs, while Kauppila set 21 assists. Twelve digs from Sidra Wohlwend and five blocks (four solo) by Olivia Hindy were the top defensive numbers for Williams.
Coming into the game with a 1-7 record against Williams in NESCAC Tournament play, Tufts held the Ephs to a .121 hitting percentage overall in a convincing win. The Jumbos will clash with #2 seed Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at 3:30, with the winner advancing to the NESCAC Championship match.
Written by Steven Landry, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
