MEDFORD, MA (November 1, 2023) -- The Tufts University volleyball squad opens up playoff action on Saturday, November 4 at home in Cousens Gymnasium, hosting Trinity College in the 2023 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament quarterfinals. The Jumbos come in playing well, having won five straight within the NESCAC, including three-set wins last weekend over Connecticut College and Bowdoin College.
Game Details
Opponent: vs. Trinity College (15-7, 6-4 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Medford, MA – Cousens Gymnasium (
Directions)
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Tufts Against Trinity
The Jumbos and Bantams have played 16 times since the 2009 season, as Tufts holds a 14-2 mark against their NESCAC opposition this weekend. Tufts has won 12 straight dating back to 2013, including a three-set victory back on September 16 this year. The Jumbos earned a 25-19, 25-18 and 25-15 win in that match, as
Tori Goldin and
Rileigh Farragher each added nine kills. Over the last 12 meetings, Tufts has dropped just one set.
A Look At The Jumbos (13-9, 6-4 NESCAC)
Tufts comes into this weekend with an 8-2 record at home this season, falling just to No. 16 Wesleyan and UC-Santa Cruz in Cousens Gymnasium. The Jumbos have seven of their last nine matches, including earn three sweeps during that stretch.
The balance for the Jumbos offense has been evident, as five players have 100 or more kills on the season led by senior right side
Rileigh Farragher. Farragher has an even 200 kills on the year, hitting .211 for the year on 541 attacks. Fellow senior
Tori Goldin has posted 175 kills, hitting .165 for the year, while adding 18 service aces, 153 digs and 25 total blocks.
First-year
Emma Heckman has settled in a very strong option on the right side, as she has posted a hitting clip of .246 on 406 attempts, totaling 167 kills. Fellow newcomer
Claire Castor has come on lately, and has 136 kills on the season in 20 starts. Castor also has 142 digs, fifth-best on the team, and a team-best 35 aces. Junior
Alina Qi is hitting .253 this year, tallying 103 kills, while leading the team with 67 total blocks including 11 solo rejections. Senior
Cora Cunningham also has 38 blocks and 69 terminations.
Senior
Maddie Yu has dished out 387 assists on the season, which leads the squad, adding 24 service aces. First-year setter
Rianna Liu has also handed out 294 helpers while finishing the regular season with 26 aces. Senior libero
Megan Harrison is second on the team with 31 aces, leading the team with 364 defensive saves on the season. Her dig total ranks fourth in the NESCAC.
Tufts head coach
Cora Thompson sits with 451 wins over her 21-year career with the Jumbos, tallying a .747 winning percentage.
A Look at the Bantams (15-7, 6-4 NESCAC)
The Bantams have one of their best seasons in recent memory in 2022, as they have won the most matches since 2013 when Trinity went 15-12 on the campaign. Trinity is back in the NESCAC Tournament for the second straight season, when they fell to Tufts in three sets at Wesleyan University back in 2022. The Bantams have won six of their last eight matches, including a big five-set win over Hamilton College last Friday to earn a top-five seed in the NESCAC Tournament for only the second time in program history (2011).
Eva Lekovic leads the way for the Bantams offensively, posting 202 kills in 22 starts, hitting .215 for the season. Bella Caffuzzi has also posted 178 kills on .354 hitting, leading the team with 76 blocks including 20 solo rejections. Margaret McCarthy has 166 kills, while Lola Craig also has contributed 161 terminations. Ellie Gordon has come off the bench in 20 matches to tally 140 kills.
On the defensive end, Scarlett Jago leads the team with dig with 362, while setter Caroline Howell has added 507 assists and 181 digs on the year. Grace Sullivan also has added 290 helpers on the year. Julia Torre has a team-high 26 aces.
Head coach Jen Bowman is in her 20th year at Trinity, and is the all-time winningest coach at Trinity with 246 wins with the Bantams.
Other NESCAC Tournament Action
Tufts and Trinity are the lone match on Saturday in the NESCAC Tournament, as the three first-round matches are Friday evening. No. 6 Williams will host No. 11 Bates, while No. 7 Hamilton will host No. 10 Bowdoin and No. 9 Conn. College will head to No. 8 Amherst.
The winners of those games will play on Sunday against the three remaining top three seeds. No. 1 Wesleyan will play the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 game, while No. 2 Colby will take on the Bowdoin/Hamilton winner. The winner of Williams and Bates will play Middlebury Sunday.
For more information, log onto the NESCAC Tournament website
HERE.
--JUMBOS--
