MEDFORD, MA (September 23, 2023) -- Senior
Rileigh Farragher and first-year right side
Emma Heckman both tallied 10 kills Saturday afternoon, as the Jumbos finished a busy week of action with a solid 3-0 win over Susquehanna University on Homecoming in Cousens Gymnasium. Tufts topped the River Hawks 25-20, 25-23 and 25-20.
Tufts settled into a solid rotation and got things working early in the contest, taking an 8-2 lead in the opening set after back-to-back blocks by
Brittany Bennet. Susquehanna rallied back and got to within one at 10-9 on a kill from Stella Robinson, but Tufts quickly extended its lead back uo to four after a kill from Bennet. SU would get to within two a few times, but the Jumbos fended off the young but feisty River Hawks to claim the set on a kill from Heckman.
The River Hawks would control the first part of the second set though, as Susquehanna led by as many as seven at 11-4 after consecutive attack errors by the Jumbos. Tufts slowly made their way back into the match, putting together a 4-0 run thanks to consecutive blocks from
Cora Cunningham to make it 17-16 Susquehanna. The Jumbos would finally take the lead at 21-20, but SU regained the lead twice, the latest coming at 23-22 on a kill from Amanda Gore. Senior
Tori Goldin would sandwich kills between a Heckman block though down the stretch to give the hosts a 2-0 match lead.
The third set looked more like the first, as both teams featured large runs including a 5-0 run by the Jumbos matched immediately by five straight from Susquehanna to make it 10-8 in favor of the Jumbos. A 7-1 run for Tufts made it 19-11, and the hosts were able to sway away any comeback attempt in taking the match in three sets.
Farragher finished with 10 kills on 23 attempts, adding three assisted blocks, while Heckman needed 22 swings to get to her 10 kills, adding three blocks (two solo) as well. Goldin hit .222 on the day, contributing eight kills and five digs, while first-year
Claire Castor tallied seven kills and eight digs, along with a team-high four aces.
Rianna Liu finished one dig shy of a double-double with 19 assists and nine digs, while
Maddie Yu also finished with 16 helpers, eight digs and two service aces.
Senior
Megan Harrison recorded nine digs for the Jumbos, who posted 41 kills on 109 attempts, hitting .229 for the match. Tufts also finished with a 10-3 block advantage, while adding nine service aces on the night.
Susquehanna got nine kills from Ryan Rorls, and Emily Kowalski finished with eight kills. Keira Roach also added 26 assists and 14 digs, while Valerie Stoltz contributed 10 digs.
The Jumbos (6-4) will had a few days off before traveling to Middlebury College September 29 at 7 p.m. for New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play at 7 p.m. this Friday evening in Middlebury, Vermont.
--JUMBOS--
