SALISBURY, MD (September 5, 2025) -- The Tufts University volleyball team started strong but host Salisbury University rallied back to take the next three sets as the Jumbos dropped their first match of the 2025 season with a 13-25, 25-16, 25-16 and 26-24 defeat inside Maggs Activities Center.
The Jumbos raced out of the gates on Friday evening in their first road match of the campaign, hitting .429 in the opening stanza while forcing the host Sea Gulls (3-1) into eight hitting mistakes. Tufts never trailed in the first set, as sophomore
Maiwenn Kamdje tallied five kills to pace the Jumbos.
Salisbury would turn the tables on Tufts in the second set, as the host Sea Gulls hit .344 for the frame to deadlock the match at a set apiece.
The Jumbos took an early lead in the third set after a kill by junior
Akpevwe Akpoigbe and an ace by
Ellery Clark, but a 7-0 run gave the Sea Gulls the lead for good as they continued their hot hitting with a .435 hitting clip.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the match with seven tie scores and two lead changes. Tufts led early in the frame 8-4 but four straight points by the hosts tied the match at eight. The set remained close but a 7-1 run by Salisbury pushed it ahead, but Tufts rallied to tie the set at 24 after two kills and a block by Kamdje.
The Gulls though would bear down and earn the next two points, including a service ace by Prudence Marco to clinch the win. Kamdje led the offensive output for the Jumbos with a career-high 15 terminations, hitting .407 for the match on 27 attempts. She added three assisted blocks as well.
Junior
Emma Heckman had nine kills and two blocks, while
Claire Castor contributed seven terminations, eight digs and an ace. Junior setter
Rianna Liu had a double-double of 15 assists and 11 digs, while Clark added 19 assists, eight digs and three aces. Sophomore
Matsa Shi had 11 digs as well, and
Amanda Freehill totaled five digs as well.
The Jumbos finished the evening hitting .148 (42-22-135) and posted a much better serving effort than the season opener with 10 aces and a .951 serve percentage.
Kiley McTaggart had 16 kills for SU, while Maura Fay and Gwen Eustace added 12 and 11 terminations, respectively. Marco finished with 22 digs to lead all players, and Julie Altieri had 36 assists and 11 digs in the win.
Tufts will rematch with Salisbury Saturday morning at 11 a.m. before taking on another team receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll in Gettysburg College at 1:30 p.m. in Salisbury, MD.
--JUMBOS--
