MEDFORD, MA (October 14, 2023) -- The Tufts University volleyball team continued their strong play of late Saturday afternoon on Play for Pink Day, knocking off Amherst College in straight sets Saturday in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action from Cousens Gymnasium. The Jumbos defeated the Mammoths 25-17, 25-14 and 25-9.
The Jumbos (9-7, 4-4 NESCAC) didn't look tired at all after last night's marathon five-set win over Williams College that finished after 10 p.m. Eastern time, as Tufts hit .343 for the match. The hitting percentage was the second-best of the season for the Jumbos, bested only by the .363 clip on opening night against Roger Williams University September 5.
In the opening set Amherst took a slight 8-6 advantage after a Carly Cooper service ace, but Tufts came back to take a 13-11 lead after a kill from senior
Cora Cunningham. After Amherst made the score 17-14 Tufts, the host Jumbos rattled off a 7-1 run highlighted by a pair of aces from senior libero
Megan Harrison to take the 1-0 match edge.
From that point on though, Amherst would go cold offensively as it totaled just 11 more kills for the second and third match. Meanwhile, Tufts posted 26 over the next two stanzas including tallying just 10 errors for the match in pulling away for the win.
Senior
Tori Goldin was once again stellar for the Jumbos, as she finished with 12 kills and six digs, hitting .393 for the contest. Fellow senior
Rileigh Farragher hit .421 on 19 attempts, tallying nine terminations and three assisted blocks. First-year
Claire Castor hit .412 with nine kills, adding a new career-high for service aces with six aces. The six aces were the most for a Jumbo this season, and tied for the second-most of any NESCAC player this year.
Junior
Alina Qi posted six total blocks and five kills, and Harrison finished with a game-high 15 digs and two aces in the win. Senior
Maddie Yu handed out 18 helpers, and first-year
Rianna Liu contributed 19 assists in the win. For the match, Tufts posted a huge 61-23 in points
Charlotte Rasmussen finished with eight kills in the loss for the Mammoths (6-9, 3-5 NESCAC).
The Jumbos are back in action on the road Tuesday evening in Waltham, MA, as they take on Brandeis University at 6:00 p.m. in non-conference play.
--JUMBOS--
