MEDFORD, MA (October 27, 2023) -- First-year outside hitter
Claire Castor posted a match-best 12 kills, helping lead the Tufts University volleyball team to a much-needed, three-set victory over visiting Connecticut College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play from Cousens Gymnasium.
The Jumbos earned the victory with scores of 25-16, 25-10 and 25-13, as they used a solid serving game and strong presence at the net to control the tempo. Tufts finished the night with 12.5 blocks, while also adding eight service aces led by four from senior
Tori Goldin. The win assures that Tufts will have at least a chance at a top-four seed heading into Saturday's regular-season finale against Bowdoin College at 2 p.m. in Cousens Gymnasium. The victory was also fourth straight in NESCAC action, having defeated Bates College, Williams College, Amherst College and now Connecticut College to get back over .500 in the league.
Tufts (12-8, 5-4 NESCAC) started slow as the Camels took a 4-1 early edge, but Goldin stepped to the service line and tallied two aces during a 6-0 run to put Tufts up 7-4. The hosts continued to add on in the first set, as Castor tallied seven terminations in the frame while hitting .778 in the period to lift Tufts to the early match lead.
The second set saw the Jumbos defense come alive, forcing Connecticut College into 11 hitting errors thanks to 6.5 blocks highlighted by four from senior
Rileigh Farragher. In the period, Conn. College led 1-0 but that would be the last lead of the frame as Tufts rattled off 14 of the matches' next 16 points. The Jumbos needed only eight kills in the second frame to roll to the win.
The Tufts offense started to hit its stride in the third set, hitting .333 in the stanza led by four kills from Castor and eight helpers from
Maddie Yu as the Jumbos pulled away for the match triumph. A look at the numbers saw the Jumbos hit .244 on first transition attacks, posting 15 on the night, while also adding adding a 65%-34% sideout edge.
Castor needed on 20 swings to get to her match-best 12 kills, finishing with no errors on the night. Castor also added five digs on the night, and Goldin tallied seven kills, four aces, six digs and three total blocks.
Farragher tallied six kills and six blocks, a team-high, while
Megan Harrison led all players with 14 digs on the evening. Senior
Cora Cunningham hit .500 on her 10 attempts for five kills, and Yu recorded 16 assists and five digs. First-year
Rianna Liu also helped out with nine assists, as Tufts hit .250 as a team on the night (34-12-88).
Riley Lord led Conn. College with six kills and eight digs, and Caroline Festersen also added eight digs. Connecticut College hit -.081 on the night, which marks the second time in 2023 that Tufts has forced an opponent to a negative hitting clip. It was also the lowest hitting percentage forced by the Jumbos since September 10, 2016 against Brandeis (-.094), and lowest in NESCAC play since Trinity hit -.081 back on November 7, 2014.
In other news on Friday, the NESCAC announced that the league would change its postseason tournament format, as all 11 teams will earn a bid following Wednesday evening's tragedy in Lewiston, Maine, which forced cancelations of two Bates College matches.
--JUMBOS--
