MEDFORD, MA (October 11, 2025) - The Tufts University volleyball team fought hard for a five set win over the Connecticut College Camels in Cousens Gym on Saturday afternoon, maintaining their second place position in the New England Small College Athletic Conference standings.
The Jumbos (14-2, 6-1 NESCAC) started strong in the first set. Taking advantage of three straight attacking errors by the Camels early in the opening set, the Jumbos soon pushed to a 10-6 lead after a
Julia Griffiths kill from the middle. The Camels (8-8, 1-5 NESCAC) pushed back, making it a closer contest at 10-13.
Emma Heckman,
Bridget Lonergan and
Claire Castor all contributed kills to help drive the score back up in the Jumbos' favor. Driving the score up to 23-14, the Jumbos finished out the set without drama after a Castor kill saw the home team eclipse 25 to take set one.Â
The Camels responded with improved play in the second set, giving the Jumbos a bit of a challenge in the early goings of the frame. The two conference foes traded blows and the lead, as Tufts jumped out ahead 4-3 before falling behind 6-4. Three straight points saw the Camels drive their lead to 12-8, but Tufts roared back to even the score at 15-15 after a
Maiwenn Kamdje kill. Another kill from Kamdje soon after saw Tufts retake the lead at 18-17, but it was a short-lived moment in front as the Camels responded with a four point run. Tufts managed to scrape back a couple points on match point, but would ultimately drop the second set 25-21.
With the score even at one set apiece, the scene was set for an intense third. After dropping the first point, Tufts rattled off six straight to jump ahead 6-1. Leading the charge for the Jumbos across that stretch was Castor with a kill and
Dylan Whisenant with an ace. The run flipped sides as the Camels answered back with five points of their own to tie it at 6-6. Another four point run soon after saw the visitors jump ahead 11-8. A Castor kill and a Jocelyn Bickford ace were not enough to stop the Camels' run, and the Jumbos found themselves staring down a 24-14 match point. An attacking error by Connecticut and an
Ellery Clark kill brought Tufts a bit closer, but they would fall in the third set 25-16.
With their backs up against the wall, Tufts recognized the need to clean up their game and executed. After trailing 4-2 early, the Jumbos relied on a pair of kills by
Akpevwe Akpoigbe to regain the advantage at 5-4. After a pair of aces by
Matsa Shi and yet another Akpoigbe kill to cap off a five point run, the Jumbos found themselves ahead 15-9. They didn't look back once as they saw out the set, 25-13 to force a winner-take-all set five.
The Jumbos opened the all-important fifth set with a very clear message. They were not messing around. Castor tallied a kill, Shi scored an ace, and Akpoigbe took another kill to drive the home team ahead 4-1. The Camels managed to scrounge up a couple points to make it 6-3, but the Jumbos then decided that they were all set with continuing the game. They rattled off an overwhelming eight straight points, the longest run of either team all day long, and quickly found themselves ahead 14-3. With game point on the table, the Jumbos let the Camels hand them a win after an attacking error saw the Jumbos take the fifth set 15-5. An impressive win against plenty of internal and external adversity, the Jumbos improved to 14-2 on the year and 6-1 within NESCAC play.
Claire Castor led the offense for Tufts, racking up 16 kills to lead the team.
Maiwenn Kamdje amassed nine and
Emma Heckman killed eight to round out a strong day for Tufts' hitters.
Matsa Shi had a great day at the service line, totaling five aces. First year
Lola Tortorello moved the ball around very well amidst the absence of
Rianna Liu, totaling 19 assists to lead the squad. Shi also led the team in digs with 12.
Tufts will have a few days of rest before they begin preparations for a midweek regional matchup against Endicott. The match will begin at 6:00 pm in Beverly, Massachusetts.
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--JUMBOS--
