AMHERST, MA (September 20, 2025) -- Junior setter
Rianna Liu hit the 1,000 assist mark for her career Saturday afternoon in a four-set win for the Tufts University volleyball team, tallying 23 helpers as the Jumbos topped Amherst College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Tufts won with scores of 25-20, 30-32, 25-20 and 25-19.
The junior setter has been a mainstay in the Jumbos setting 6-2 rotation since her first year, and has continually improved her assists per set to a dazzling 5.63 mark this year as a junior. She was in control of the offensive unit on Saturday, as Tufts hit a sparkling .242 for the match as it posted 62 kills over the four sets. The 62 terminations were the most in a four-set match this season for the Jumbos, while it marked the most in a four-setter for Tufts since topping Wesleyan back on November 6, 2022 in the NESCAC title match.
Tufts got the offense going in the first set with 14 kills, but had to fend off a game Amherst College (4-2, 1-1 NESCAC) squad that led at 18-17 after a 4-0 run. The Jumbos responded with a three-point run thanks to a block and kill from
Maiwenn Kamdje, and followed that up with a 5-1 spurt to clinch the set as junior
Bridget Lonergan fueled the run with two blocks and a kill.
The second set was a marathon and Tufts (8-1, 2-0 NESCAC) had three set points denied before the Mammoths rallied to take four of the final five points to take the set 32-30. The set featured 19 tie scores and 10 lead changes.
The Jumbos came right back with a monster third set, hitting .378 in the period as junior
Emma Heckman had a team-leading five terminations in the frame and Liu added seven assists and five digs.
In the fourth, Kamdje and Heckman provided four kills apiece while Tufts chalked up three aces in the frame to clinch the victory, its seventh straight. It is Tufts' longest win streak since the 2022 season, when it posted an eight-match win streak from October 26 to November 11.
Liu recorded another double-double for the Jumbos on Saturday, her second of the weekend, as she tallied 17 assists in addition to her 23 assists, posting three aces as well. Heckman followed up her personal-best performance on Friday with another career-high, going for a match-best 18 terminations while hitting .375. She also added five digs.
Kamdje had 11 kills and seven digs as well, while Lonergan powered down seven kills while blocking four attempts at the net. Sophomore
Keller Mobley had a monster double-double with a career-high 10 kills and 14 digs, while sophomore
Matsa Shi tallied 15 digs as well. Sophomore
Ellery Clark also had 19 assists and six digs, while first-year
Amanda Freehill had three of the Jumbos 13 aces on the day.
Tufts won the digs tally 74-65 for the match.
Amherst was paced by the 10 kills from Abby Nichols, and Audrey Krichev had 11 digs and 15 assists.
Tufts will be back in action on Wednesday, September 24 at 5:30 p.m., taking on Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.
--JUMBOS--
