MEDFORD, MA (August 31, 2025) -- The Tufts University volleyball team comes into the 2025 season after last year's campaign that finished without a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Jumbos were a young team, with 14 first-years and sophomores, many of whom were counted on to contribute right away.
A year later though, this group has matured and is hoping to see more consistency out of a team that showed the ability to be special at times in 2024. Despite a 13-11 schedule against one of the toughest schedules in all of Division III, the Jumbos would respond in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play to go 7-3 while pushing NESCAC regular season champ Colby College to the brink in five sets.
The ability for this team to take a step forward has already been on display for head coach
Cora Thompson, now in her 24th season, as she has mentioned that this group looks more confident with many of them with a year or two of experience under their belt.
"I think their overall connection, their vibes are great...they're putting the team first in practices and there is a just aura of confidence," said Thompson. "I feel like it's impressive to see the cohesiveness of this group, which is expected considering we have 14 underclassmen back from last year."
After having to bring along large first-year classes in 2023 and 2024, the Jumbos only have three first-years in 2025, which allows for less teaching and more competition during their short preseason. Also, this group will have the opportunity to gel together thanks to a tough beginning of the season slate, with nine of ten matches on the road to open the campaign.
"We're trying to be a little bit more strategic about how we schedule, but we've still got a very difficult schedule," said Thompson. "We're trying to find that balance of finding competitive, NCAA-caliber teams though still giving ourselves the opportunity to grow as a group."
The expectation though is that this team will continue to progress and show its potential to be one of the best teams in New England, having knocked off regionally ranked foes in Babson College, Springfield College, Endicott College, Wesleyan University and Colorado College last year.
"What's great about this group about having this many returners is that they know what it takes through the experiences that they've had over the last two years together, and the seniors were first-years on the team that won the NESCAC title in 2023, so they know what it takes," said Thompson. "Coming back this season, we've hit the ground running faster than we ever have. We were able to start preseason at a much higher level, thanks to the coachability of this group."
Below is a breakdown of the team by position.
SETTERS
When asked what would be one of the many strengths of the 2025 team, Thompson immediately mentioned the depth and talent at the setter position. The great thing about the four setters for the Jumbos are their varying skill sets, which allows Thompson to make adjustments on the fly.
Junior
Rianna Liu was a full-time starter for the Jumbos last year, and played a team-high 90 sets while posting 492 sets as a 6-2 setter. Liu's athleticism and foot speed allows her to get to pretty much every pass, and her decision making has been solid as well. Liu gives Tufts a very seasoned setter option. Liu is also one of the best servers in the conference, posting 31 aces last year, and her 2.71 digs per set led the team.
Senior
Ella Norris got her first consistent playing time of her career last year as a junior, and was solid as she dished out 215 assists while adding 18 aces. Norris also added 1.32 digs per set.
Sophomore
Ellery Clark got into 31 sets as a first-year player in 2024, and was second on the team in assists per set with 4.23. Clark is a high energy player that also is strong defensively.
The Jumbos also get back sophomore
Lola Tortorello this season after she missed all of last year due to injury. Tortorello is very athletic, makes great decisions and has fantastic hands. Look for her to be another solid addition to an already stellar group.
HITTERS
The hitting group returns mainly intact from a year ago, as four of the top five players in the kill column return in 2025. The Jumbos posted 12.40 kills per set last season, almost two more then their opponents, but hit only .173 as a team.
Like the team as a whole, every player that got opportunities offensively showed promise but it will be about cutting down on the unforced errors that plagued the team last season.
The right side hitters were the most productive last season, and bring back a wealth of talent in that group. Junior
Emma Heckman was 10th in the conference in kills last season, averaging 2.70 kills per set while leading the Jumbos with 235 kills. She hit .231 on the year, while posting 3.16 points per set, tops on the team.
Sophomore
Maiwenn Kamdje led the team in hitting percentage as a first-year, as the southpaw finished with 150 kills in 70 sets of action. Kamdje plays with a ton of energy and her ability to terminate points will be vital for the Jumbos this year.
Sophomore
Ruby Flath battled some injuries as a first-year, but had some solid matches in her 21 sets of action. Flath is one of the tallest players on the team and she showed her potential with an 11-kill outing against Trinity last year.
At outside hitter, Tufts brings back one of its most consistent and smartest players in
Claire Castor. An All-NESCAC Second Team performer as a sophomore, Castor can do pretty much everything on a volleyball court. She was second on the team with 188 kills last year, while her 0.49 aces per set was sixth in the NESCAC. Castor finished with five double-doubles as well.
The Jumbos will have to handle the loss of five-year contributor
Christine Audette at outside hitter, but the Jumbos will have a lot of options to go to. Senior
Emma Norman has been a spark off the bench for the last few seasons, and she tallied 46 kills last year a junior. Her ability to change momentum has been key for Tufts.
Sophomore
Keller Mobley was banged up as a first-year, but when healthy she showed her big athleticism and talent. Mobley had six kills against national power MIT last year, and then was 4-for-4 against NESCAC perennial power Wesleyan. Look for Mobley to get more chances in her second season.
Classmate
Celina Savage also showed sparks of potential as a first-year on the outside, getting in 17 sets and seven matches. Savage attacks the set in the air, and tallied a career-high seven kills in a five-set win over Trinity last year. She had at least one kill in all of her seven matches played, so her impact has been quick when given opportunities.
In the middle, Tufts saw the emergence of now-senior
Julia Griffiths as a top offensive and defensive option. Griffiths finished with 102 kills in 22 matches played, hitting .241, and coupled with her blocking ability make her one of the top middles in the league.
Junior
Akpevwe Akpoigbe carved out a large role for the Jumbos last year in the middle, finishing 74 balls while hitting .277 out of the middle. Akpoigbe is very athletic, quick off the floor and can run a variety of sets. She had six or more kills in six matches last season, hitting the best against top teams the Jumbos played.
Back after missing last season is junior Bridget Longeran, who could be a factor in the middle. Despite only playing in 12 sets as a first-year, Lonergan is long and athletic and has a ton of potential to take a big step forward for the Jumbos.
First-years
Hazel Nelson and
Destiny Francis will bring strong depth and talent to an already solid and productive middle hitter group.
DEFENSE
The Jumbos had a very young defensive back row group last year, with a pair of first-years playing the majority of time as libero. It was the third straight season for the Jumbos with a new libero, after the graduations of stellar back row players Stephanie Lee and Megan Harrison.
Sophomore
Matsa Shi led the defensive players in digs last year, as she averaged 2.63 digs out of the back row. Shi is a steady passer and defensive player, finishing with only 15 receiving errors in 87 sets of action.
Classmate
Dylan Whisenant also played a lot in the back row and at libero as a first-year, and she was third on the team with 189 digs in 71 sets. Whisenant brings a ton of energy to the floor and also is a stellar floor general.
Junior Becca DePencier Pinero was dealing with injuries during her sophomore season, but is a natural leader on the floor and a great passer. She played in 44 sets last season, adding 22 digs to the ledger for the Jumbos.
First-year
Amanda Freehill has also been solid in preseason defensively, and her calmness and volleyball IQ has shown up during practice.
At the net, Griffiths was one of the best blockers in the country as a junior, as her 1.19 blocks per set was 10th nationally. Heckman continued to be a solid blocker last year with 69 rejections, and Akpoigbe added 0.67 blocks per set as well. Kamdje added 40 assisted blocks while Castor contributed 20 total rejections.
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The Jumbos get their season started Tuesday, September 2 at 6 p.m. in Cousens Gymnasium against Roger Williams University in non-conference play.
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