Box Score MEDFORD – Tufts hit nearly 30 percent and had six players finish with five or more kills as the Jumbos opened their 2021 season with a three-set win over Roger Williams University in non-conference volleyball action on Tuesday night at Cousens Gym.
It had been exactly 661 days since the Jumbos played a match, and they came out ready to go. Tufts had 14 kills and just four errors on 30 swings in the opening set as they rolled to a 25-10 advantage. The Jumbos had a good home crowd behind them as well, with more than 300 fans showing up for the first match of the year.
They went on to post 25-17 and 25-14 set victories to sweep the match. The Jumbos finished the night with 41 kills and 13 errors in 96 attempts for a .292 percentage. By comparison, Roger Williams finished the night at .141 with 21 kills and nine errors on 85 attempts.
In the first set, Tufts led 8-5 and then scored 10 of the next 12 points for an 18-7 advantage on a block by Jennifer Ryan and Maya Lightfoot. Similarly in set #2, the Jumbos had a small early lead of 9-6 that blossomed into a 17-8 score after a kill by Tori Goldin. Tufts pulled away from the Hawks late in the third to seal the match.
Cate Desler and Goldin both had six kills to lead Tufts, while Grace Legris, Christine Audette, Ryan and Jennelle Yarwood each finished with five. Yarwood added to the offense with four service aces, while Ariel Zedric contributed 17 assists. On defense, eight digs apiece by Zedric and Lee paced the Jumbos (1-0) while Yarwood added seven digs to her productive night.
Roger Williams, who drpped to 0-3 overall, was led by seven kills from Katherine Pickard. Kristen Dansereau earned five kills without an error in 17 attempts (.294). Jaime Gaffga and Kate Porter both had 10 digs, while Porter led with 18 assists.
The Jumbos host Illinois Tech on Friday night in the Tufts Invitational at Cousens as they continue their opening week of action featuring four matches.
