CLINTON, NY (September 19, 2025) -- The longest New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) trip of the season wasn't enough to slow down the red-hot Tufts Volleyball team, as the Jumbos went on the road and picked up a 3-1 win over host Hamilton College in the league opener for both squads.
Tufts topped the Continentals 25-20, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-20.
The offense was very consistent on Friday evening, tallying over 12 kills in each of the sets while hitting a solid .192 for the match. Even more impressive was the defensive numbers, as Tufts finished with 82 digs led by sophomore
Matsa Shi and her season-high 23 digs in the match. The 82 digs were the most in a four-set win for Tufts since tallying 92 in a win over Brandeis October 26, 2022.
In the first set, Tufts (7-1, 1-0 NESCAC) and Hamilton traded the lead back and forth before a 6-0 run by the Jumbos broke a 14-14 tie. During the run, sophomore
Maiwenn Kamdje had two kills and senior
Julia Griffiths had a big block to cap the run to make it 20-14. Hamilton pushed back to pull to within 22-20, but a block and kill from
Emma Heckman clinched the set for Tufts.
The second set mimicked the first, with both teams trading shots while exchanging the lead through the first 15 points for both squads. Hamilton led 21-19 late in the frame, but
Claire Castor started a six-point run to secure the set, as Heckman and Castor each had two kills apiece.
Hamilton would use Tufts' script in the third set, using an 8-2 run down the stretch to push the match to a fourth set. In the final stanza, Tufts scored eight of the first 11 points and never was challenged in clinching the conference victory.
Heckman finished with a career-high 16 kills from the right side for the Jumbos, adding three blocks while hitting .265 for the match.
Castor posted a double-double on the outside with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Griffiths was steady in the middle with eight terminations and five total blocks.
Junior
Bridget Lonergan tallied seven finishes, while Kamdje also had six kills and three digs. Sophomore
Keller Mobley put down five attempts, adding a career-best 13 digs, while
Rianna Liu had a monster match with 27 assists, two aces and 13 digs.
Ellery Clark added 19 assists and five digs as well for the Jumbos.
Tufts posted 56 kills for the match, while holding Hamilton to 43 on the night.
Grace Seaman had a team-high 10 kills for the Continentals (3-4, 0-1 NESCAC).
The Jumbos finish their season-long seven-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Amherst, Massachusetts, taking on Amherst College in another NESCAC battle at 2 p.m. in LeFrak Gymnasium.
--JUMBOS--
