MEDFORD, MA (September 12, 2026) -- The No. 21 Tufts University volleyball squad dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Salisbury University Saturday, but rebounded later in the day to knock off Bowdoin College in a pair of non-conference matches in the 2026 Tufts Invitational. 

The Jumbos fell to Salisbury 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 21-25 and 16-14, before besting the Polar Bears 25-19, 14-25, 25-17 and 25-19. 

Match 1: Salisbury 3, Tufts 2
Tufts had to rally twice in the match against visiting Salisbury to deadlock the match, and couldn't hold onto a 7-2 lead in the fifth set as the Sea Gulls outlasted the Jumbos in five. 

Junior Maiwenn Kamdje led Tufts with a team-best 17 kills, adding three blocks, while newcomer Tessa Fergusson continued to impress with an all-around strong match of six kills, eight total blocks (two solo) and an ace. Fergusson also had four digs. 

Senior Emma Heckman tallied 10 kills, four digs and two assisted blocks, while sophomore middle hitter Hazel Nelson tallied eight kills and three assisted rejections. Senior Claire Castor had eight kills and six digs. 

Senior Rianna Liu had 15 assists and 13 digs for the double-double, while Ellery Clark had a strong match with 27 assists and eight digs. Junior Dylan Whisenant posted 11 digs as well for Tufts, while Keller Mobley and Destiny Francis were huge in a second-set comeback with four kills apiece. 

After Salisbury took the first set, the Sea Gulls took a 12-3 lead in the second but the Jumbos slowly battled back into the match. Tufts got to within two at 17-15 after a kill by Akpevwe Akopoigbe, but SU pushed its lead back up to 23-16. Salisbury led 24-17 but the Jumbos fought off seven set points and finished the stanza on a 9-0 run to make the match score 1-1. 

After the two teams exchanged sets to make it 2-2, the Jumbos scored six of the first seven points in the final period but it wasn't enough. Salisbury stormed back to tie the stanza at nine, taking a lead at 11-10. Tufts scores four of the next six points and had match point but the Sea Gulls converted the last three points to earn the win. 

Kiley McTaggart had 25 kills to lead all players, while Mattox Adams posted 46 assists in the win. 

Match 2: Tufts 3, Bowdoin 1
The Jumbos serve receive was strong in the second match of the day, allowing just three aces, while adding 51 kills as a squad in knocking off a strong Bowdoin team in four sets. 

Heckman finished with a team-best 15 kills, hitting .353 on the match with two solo blocks, while junior Celina Savage chalked up a career-high 10 kills on 22 swings. Savage also was huge at the net defensively with four assisted blocks. 

Nelson added eight kills, and Fergusson hit .625 as she recorded five kills on eight swings in addition to her three assisted blocks. Clark started and had 23 assists and two aces, while Liu tallied 20 assists, eight digs and four aces. Amanda Freehill had eight digs as well, while Whisenant had 16 digs. 

The Jumbos hit .181 for the match, but two of the sets Tufts was able to hit over .200 including a scorching .483 clip in the third set to regain a match lead. 

Tufts (4-3) never trailed in the first set, but the Polar Bears answered the Jumbos by leading the entire second set to tie the match at a set apiece. Bowdoin led early in the third set, but the Jumbos came back to tie the period at 14 after a Heckman kill. From that point, Tufts went on an 11-3 run to clinch the set. 

In the fourth set, the Polar Bears took a 9-6 lead on a kill from Tamara Gisiger, but Tufts once again responded with a six-point run to make it 12-9. Bowdoin got to within one twice, but Tufts would hold onto the lead each time in finishing the weekend 2-1. 

Alison Smith had 18 kills and four blocks to pace Bowdoin, and Skye LaMendola finished with 10 kills and seven digs. 

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Tufts has five days off before hosting Williams College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opener Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m.