NEW LONDON, Conn. (September 23, 2022) -- The Tufts University volleyball team got its busy weekend schedule underway in strong fashion Friday evening, sweeping host Coast Guard Academy in three sets in non-conference action from Roland Gymnasium. The Jumbos earned the victory with scores of 25-11, 25-18 and 25-12.
The Jumbos, ranked No. 24 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll Tuesday, used a powerful attack to control the play all match. Tufts (5-2) finished the match with a hitting percentage of .300, hammering home 33 kills on 80 attempts while erring just nine times. In fact the Jumbos trailed only twice the entire match, both coming in the opening set.
The Bears (9-4) led 5-4 in the first set but that was the last time all night that the hosts would hold an edge, as
Cora Cunningham and Janelle Yarwood started a 5-0 run for the Jumbos with a block. With Tufts leading 10-8,
Christine Audette posted a kill to start another long scoring run for the Jumbos that ended with the visitors leading 18-8. CGA trimmed the lead down to 19-11, but that was as close as the opening stanza would get as Yarwood put home the final point as Tufts raced out to a 1-0 match edge.
The offense would really come to life in the second set for the Jumbos, as they chalked up 17 kills on 30 attempts in the period, hitting an impressive .533 for the set. The hitting percentage was the second-highest for a set this season, bested only by the .591 in set three against Eastern Connecticut in the opening match of the year.
The second game was close early, but Tufts pulled away midway through thanks to three straight terminations by
Maya Lightfoot. In the third set, Tufts tallied nine of the first 10 points and closed out the match with six straight points highlighted by two kills and a block by Yarwood.
Yarwood had an efficient night for the Jumbos, posting 10 kills on 19 swings while adding four digs.
Grace Legris tallied five kills on just seven attempts, hitting .714, while Lightfoot finished with five kills as well. Audette added five kills along with 10 digs and two aces, while Cunningham posted five terminations, two blocks and an ace. The service game was also strong Friday, as
Maddie Yu collected five of the team's 10 aces to go with her seven digs.
Stephanie Lee also had 12 digs, and Yu and
Zoe Gregory combined for 24 assists.
Noelle Tursky and Sarah Somer each finished with seven kills in the loss for the Bears.
The Jumbos are right back in action Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against two teams in the AVCA poll. Tufts battles No. 8 NYU at Noon Saturday, before taking on Susquehanna University at 5 p.m. in Middletown, Conn. Both matches are being hosted at Wesleyan University.
--JUMBOS--
