Tufts Takes Control Late To Down Blue Volleyball, 3-1

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Senior McKenzie Humann (Lakewood, Colo.) and first year Brigid Bell (Granite Bay, Calif.) combined for 20 kills to lead Tufts University to a 3-1 (25-23, 23-25,25-19, 25-13) non-conference win over Wellesley College volleyball on Wednesday night at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

Tufts, the second ranked team in the latest NEWVA New England Regional Poll, improves to 19-1 on the season while extending a season-best 11-match winning streak. The Blue drop to 12-13 overall, closing out their non-conference schedule in 2016 with a 7-10 mark. 

Humann and Bell each had ten kills for the Jumbos, who also got seven kills from senior middle hitter Elizabeth Ahrens (Richmond, Va.). Bell also recorded 12 digs to finish the contest with a double-double, while Humann paced the play at the net, recording nine total blocks in the contest. In the back row, first year Kelly Klimo (North Canton, Ohio) tracked down a match-high 26 digs. Sophomore Katie Zheng (Omaha, Neb.) chipped in with 10 digs and classmate Angela Yu (Austin, Texas) had 29 assists.

For Wellesley, sophomore Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had a match-high 14 kills and recorded her sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 15 digs. Sophomore Ashley Peng (San Diego, Calif.) finished one kill shy of a double-double, adding nine kills and 13 digs. First year Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) also added nine kills, while junior Katie Yan (Cohoes, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 digs. Sophomore setter Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) dished out a match-high 35 assists. 

Wellesley finished the opening set with a .387 attack percentage, putting down 15 kills with just three errors, but Tufts found the difference late to take the game. With the score tied 23-23, Ahrens' first kill of the evening made the score 24-23. Yu then clinched the win with an ace on the final point. The teams again played to a 25-23 score line in game two, but this time it was the Blue got the upper hand. With the score tied at 23-23 for the second game in-a-row, back-to-back Tufts attack errors helped the Blue clinch the victory and tie the match at 1-1. 

The Jumbos shut down the Blue in the final two sets of the night, holding Wellesley to just 15 kills and a -.068 attack percentage over the final two games. Wellesley hung around in the third game, making the score 18-14 at the midway point following a kill from Reece. However, Tufts jumped over the 20-plateau with a 3-0 run, taking a 21-14 lead, before going on to earn the 25-19 victory. The Jumbos then closed out the game with a 25-13 victory in the fourth set, putting down a match-best 14 kills as a squad.

Wellesley will return to New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play next week when they travel to Coast Guard for a 7:00 PM match on Tuesday, October 25. Tufts will host Springfield on the opening night of the New England Challenge Tournament on Friday, October 21, at 7:00 PM.