BEVERLY, Mass. (October 15, 2025) – The No. 8 Tufts University volleyball team battled through five sets to defeat Endicott College, 3–2 (23–25, 25–10, 25–15, 23–25, 15–11), on Wednesday evening at MacDonald Gymnasium. The Jumbos improved to 15–2 overall with the win, which was their fourth straight victory.
Junior
Emma Heckman led the Jumbos with 14 kills on .303 hitting, while sophomore
Maiwenn Kamdje added 11 kills and seven blocks in another strong two-way performance. Sophomore setter
Lola Tortorello directed the offense with 22 assists and six digs, and junior
Claire Castor and senior
Julia Griffiths combined for 15 kills to power the Tufts attack.
At the net, Tufts out-blocked Endicott 17–3, controlling play at the pins and forcing the Gulls into 36 attack errors. The Jumbos hit .261 as a team, compared to Endicott's .077.
Tufts and Endicott traded points throughout a tightly contested first set before the Gulls used a late push to edge in front. Despite several strong swings from Heckman and
Keller Mobley, Endicott's Hadley Helenbrook paced the hosts with key kills down the stretch to steal the set, 25–23.
The Jumbos responded emphatically in the second frame, opening on a 10–1 run behind Kamdje's blocking and the serving of
Ellery Clark. Tufts hit a match-best .478 in the set, limiting Endicott to just two kills. Kamdje,
Akpevwe Akpoigbe, and Castor all contributed offensively as Tufts stormed to a 25–10 win.
Tufts maintained its momentum in the third, building an early lead and never looking back. Tortorello's setting helped keep Endicott's block off balance, while Griffiths, Castor, and Heckman found gaps in the defense. Strong defensive efforts from Kamdje and
Bridget Lonergan at the net fueled another dominant set as Tufts took a 2–1 advantage.
Endicott regrouped in the fourth and capitalized on a series of late points to extend the match. Helenbrook again led the Gulls' attack, and although Heckman and Castor tallied late kills to keep Tufts close, Endicott held on for a 25–23 win to send the match to a decisive fifth.
Tufts found another gear in the final set. Clark sparked the comeback effort with two kills and a service ace during a 6–0 run that flipped a 6–2 deficit into a 9–6 lead. Kamdje and Castor sealed the victory with back-to-back kills as Tufts' front line shut down Endicott to finish off the 15–11 clincher.
Tortorello finished with 22 assists, six digs and an ace for the Jumbos, while classmate Clark had 17 assists, two aces and seven digs.
Matsa Shi added 13 digs and a pair of service aces, while Castor also tallied a pair of aces with her 11 digs.
First-year
Amanda Freehill also added two aces and six digs, while Mobley tallied six terminations and three blocks. Akpoigbe totaled seven blocks for the Jumbos, while Griffiths had seven total blocks as well.
The back-to-back five-set wins for the Jumbos is the first time since the 1997 season they have accomplished that feat. Tufts did it against Amherst College and Bowdoin College that season, as now 22-year head coach
Cora Thompson was a junior for that Jumbo squad.
Helenbrook had 20 kills and nine digs in the loss for Endicott (9-10).
Tufts returns to action Friday evening in Waterville, Maine, taking on No. 11 Colby College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play.
--JUMBOS--
