MEDFORD, MA (November 15, 2023) -- The Tufts University volleyball team, recipient of a NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament at-large selection, will head to Ithaca College Thursday to battle Eastern University in the opening match at 11:30 a.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium. The Jumbos are coming off a tough 3-0 loss to Williams College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals, but still were picked for the tournament due to their very strong schedule and wins over top regional squads Springfield College and Trinity University (Texas).
Match Details:
NCAA Tournament Site Homepage
Opponent: vs. Eastern University (27-3)
Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Ithaca, N.Y. - Ben Light Gymnasium
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A Look At The Jumbos (14-10)
Despite their last loss in the NESCAC semifinals, the young Jumbo squad had been playing some of their best volleyball of the season, having earned wins in four of the previous six and eight of the previous 11 matches. With the release of the Region I rankings, the computer numbers had Tufts as one of the best strength of schedules in the entire nation, while their six wins against regionally-ranked opponents also ranked among the most in Division III as well.
On Tuesday, it was announced the seniors
Tori Goldin and
Rileigh Farragher were named to the All-NESCAC Second Team, as the duo was 1-2 in kills on the season. Farragher comes into the weekend with 217 kills, posting 2.49 per set, while Goldin also has chalked up 2.49 kills per set to go with her 192 terminations for the season. First-years
Emma Heckman and
Claire Castor are right behind them in the termination tally, as Heckman is the team's leading hitter by percentage with a .250 while adding 184 finishes. Castor has posted 157 kills to go with a team-high 40 service aces this year.
The middle rotation has been a mix of
Alina Qi,
Cora Cunningham and others but those two have seemed to lock in as the starters of late, as Qi has started 21 matches while contributing 109 kills while blocking a team-high 73 attacks. Cunningham is hitting .231, adding 79 kills, while she ranks fourth on the squad with 44 blocks. In the back row,
Megan Harrison has been a rock for the Jumbos, leading the squad with 393 digs, posting 4.47 digs per set. Goldin has added 174 digs as well, while the setter duo of
Maddie Yu and
Rianna Liu has also combined for 338 digs.
Yu has led the squad in assists this season, as the All-American has tallied 5.35 assists per set in the 6-2 system, adding 25 service aces as well. Liu has posted 4.33 assists per set along with her 27 aces, and
Zoe Gregory has also posted 132 assists on the season. The magic number for the Jumbos this weekend will be .200, as Tufts is 13-0 when hitting over that mark on the season, and just 1-10 when not getting over .200 as a squad. The Jumbos are 3-3 in five-set matches, 2-2 in four-set matches and 9-5 in three-setters.
A Look At The Eagles (27-3)
Consistently one of the nation's best programs over the last 20 years, Eastern University has won 20 or more matches every season since 2008 while earning their third Middle Athletic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) title last weekend with a three-set win over Stevenson University. It was also Eastern's 24th league title since 1997, while the Eagles are making their 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Eastern also comes in with the most wins in a season since 2016.
The Eagles rank 12th in the nation in hitting percentage on the season, posting a .252 clip for the season while also holding squads to .100 per match. Both numbers lead the MAC Commonwealth. Eastern has the MAC Commonwealth Co-Player of the year in Elle Jiron-Bujanda, who led the league in assists. The 2022 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American repeats as Player of the Year.
The Eagles also have MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the year in libero Grace Casagrande. Eastern's senior has played a key role in serve receive and in holding opponents to a league-low .100. She recorded double-digit kills in 29-of-30 matches this year. Her 558 digs is the most by an Eastern player since Rylie Haas posted 653 in Eastern's run to the National Quarterfinals in 2016. Casagrande has 42 aces and is second on the Eagles with 113 assists.
Eastern also had a First Team honoree in Logan Martin in the middle, as the junior is ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.386) and is second on the Eagles with 2.75 kills per set. She hit .500 or better in 13 matches this fall. Bridgette Kelly and Hannah Pringle were Second Team honorees, while head coach Mark Birtwistle earned conference top coaching honors.
The Coach of the Year Honor is the eighth for Birtwistle since Eastern joined the MAC in 2008, but it is the first MAC Commonwealth Honor for the veteran leader. Birtwistle reached 800 career wins in the 2022 MAC Commonwealth Championship Match. The Eagles started the season at 2-2 and have won 25-of-26 matches since. Birtwistle's teams have reached won 24 Conference Championships in the last 26 seasons and will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in the last 24 seasons.
Eastern made the Final Four back in 2011, and has been to the Elite Eight in 2013.
Rest of the Ithaca Regional Squads
The top seed in the regional this upcoming weekend will be New York University, which comes into the weekend 29-4 on the season. The Violets will battle the Lions of Eastern Nazarene College, with that winner taking on the winner of the Tufts-Eastern match. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Ithaca will host Framingham State (21-10), champions of the Massachusett State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, while Babson College (24-6) takes on Stevenson University (22-7) at 4:30 p.m.
The winners of the first two matches will play at 4:30 p.m. Friday, while the second match of the day Friday will be played at 7:00 p.m. in Ithaca. The NCAA Regional final will be played Saturday at 5 p.m.
Against The Regional Squads
The Jumbos are 2-0 against Eastern all-time, with the last meeting coming back in 2021 in Baltimore, MD at Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Tournament. Tufts has three players from that squad that played in that match, as Farragher, Harrison and Yu all appeared in that win for the Jumbos. Tufts also defeated Eastern 3-1 in 2015 at UMass Boston in an early season tourney. Tufts is 1-0 against NYU, a five-set victory last season, while the Jumbos are also 1-0 against Eastern Nazarene with an NCAA Tournament win back in 2019.
Ithaca and Tufts have not met before, while the Jumbos are 9-3 against Babson since 2009. Stevenson and Tufts have never met before, while the Jumbos are 1-0 against Framingham State with a 2014 three-set win.
--JUMBOS--
