MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (September 24, 2022) -- The No. 24 Tufts University volleyball team picked up a solid come-from-behind 3-2 win over No. 9 New York University in the opening match of Saturday's action at Wesleyan University, but couldn't earn a sweep for the day as the Jumbos fell to Susquehanna University in four games. Tufts knocked off NYU with scores of 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11, while falling to the River Hawks 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23.
Match 1: No. 24 Tufts 3, No. 9 NYU 1
Down a set and trailing by as many as seven points late in the fourth set, the Jumbos showed a ton of resiliency to come back and earn the fourth set before claiming the fifth set 15-11 for ranked victory over the Violets. NYU (9-3) won the first set 25-22, as the Violets led by as many as 12 points at 18-6 before Tufts rallied back to get as close as 23-22 after a kill from
Tori Goldin. NYU claimed the final two points though of the set to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Jumbos would even the match at a set apiece in the second, hitting .297 for the stanza using a 10-3 run early in the period for the eventual margin of victory. The Violets came right back in third to claim the set and match lead, despite it being a back-and-forth set. Tufts led 16-15 in the period following a kill by Janelle Yarwood, but New York University rattled off a 6-2 spurt to take a 21-18 lead. Tufts got to within one at 21-20 but the Violets would outscore the Jumbos 4-1 down the stretch to earn the 25-21 set win.
In the fourth set, NYU built its lead up to as many as seven points at 21-14 but the Jumbos didn't falter or fade away. Tufts won the next five points to make it 21-19, and then followed a Violet score with three more points including a kill by
Cora Cunningham to tie the set at 22. After a service error by Tufts, the Jumbos rallied with a block by
Maya Lightfoot and
Grace Legris followed by kills from Lightfoot and
Maddie Yu tie the match.
In the deciding fifth set, NYU took an early advantage but the Jumbos scored four straight points to make it 7-4 following an ace by
Zoe Gregory. The Violets posted three straight points to deadlock the set at eight, but Tufts responded with a 5-0 run highlighted by two kills from
Christine Audette to make it 13-8. After two points from the Violets, Tufts got another Audette kill followed by a Lightfoot termination to clinch the win.
Lightwood posted 13 kills on 29 attempts, adding four digs and three total rejections, while Audette finished with a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs. Yarwood contributed 10 kills and 10 digs, and Goldin terminated eight points to go with four digs.
Stephanie Lee led Tufts with 17 digs, while Yu added 13 assists, six digs and two aces. Gregory also posted 18 assists, four aces and five digs in the win, as Tufts hit .223 (53-16-166) for the match.
Match 2: Susquehanna 3, Tufts 1
The Jumbos claimed the first set thanks to some solid defensive play, but the River Hawks (7-6) rallied to take the next three sets to pick up the win. Susquehanna was receiving votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll. In the first set, Tufts (6-3) led by as many as nine at 16-7 before SU trimmed the Jumbo lead to 17-14. Tufts responded with four straight points, finishing the run on a kill by Cunningham. Tufts would eventually earn the set, as Goldin pounded down a kill for the set win.
In the second set, Tufts led early one at 7-4 after a termination from Cunningham but the River Hawks scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 14-9 edge. Tufts got as close as one at 18-17 after a setting error, but Susquehanna fended off the rally to tie the match at one. The same script played out in the third set, as an early Tufts advantage was overshadowed by a long scoring run by the River Hawks. SU led by as many as six at 20-16, winning the third set 25-21.
In the fourth, Tufts couldn't get the offense rolling as it hit just .045 for the set as Susquehanna outlasted the Jumbos for the win. Goldin led Tufts offensively with nine kills, while Cunningham hit .353 for the match with eight kills on 17 swings, adding three blocks. Audette posted six kills and 10 digs, and Gregory finished with 12 assists and 10 digs as well. Yu also contributed nine digs and a team-best 14 assists.
Rosina Esposito led all scorers with 17 kills on 61 attempts for Susquehanna, as Ryan Rorls also posted 12 kills. Keira Roach added 25 assists and 11 digs in the win for SU.
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The Jumbos will finally open their home slate on Friday, September 30, hosting Middlebury College at 7:30 p.m. in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play from Cousens Gymnasium.
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