MEDFORD, MA (October 8, 2024) -- The Tufts University volleyball team erased a two-set deficit to send the match to a fifth-game against visiting Brandeis University Tuesday night, but the Judges would hold off the Jumbos to earn a 3-2 win in non-conference action from Cousens Gymnasium.
Brandeis won the opening two sets 25-20 and 25-23 before Tufts captured the third and fourth sets with scores of 25-22. In the fifth and final set, Brandeis took an early lead and never let go of it in earning a 15-8 victory in clinch the win.
Tufts struggled to get its offense going in the first two sets, but started to click in the third set as it rattled off 14 kills led by the four from senior
Christine Audette to cut the Judge's lead in half. The offense continued to connect in the fourth set, as the Jumbos hammered down 18 kills and hit .289 in the stanza as
Emma Heckman paced the hosts with five kills in the frame.
In the fifth set, Brandeis (11-8) scored five of the set's six points and never trailed by less than five down the stretch to secure the win.
Heckman posted 11 kills on 27 swings for the Jumbos, adding four digs, and first-year
Maiwenn Kamdje also tallied 11 kills, five digs and four assisted blocks. Audette posted a double-double of 10 kills and 10 digs, while
Julia Griffiths led the team with a .412 hitting percentage on 17 swings, tallying nine terminations.
Alina Qi led Tufts with five assisted blocks, and
Rianna Liu led Tufts with 22 assists along with five digs.
First-year
Matsa Shi was the Tuft's leader with 12 digs, but the 13 service errors for the Jumbos on Tuesday hurt the cause.
Brandeis got a match-best 20 kills from Lara Verstovsek on 50 swings, posting 16 digs as well, and Isabella Irizarry also had 25 digs in the win.
Tufts (7-7) is back in action Friday evening at Trinity College in Hartford, CT in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play.
--JUMBOS--
