Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2001

STEWART NAMED ALL-NESCAC IN VOLLEYBALL FOR THIRD YEAR

MEDFORD – Senior outside hitter Jessica Stewart (Tallahasse, FL/Leon) of the Tufts University volleyball team completed an outstanding career with the Jumbos by earning All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) First Team honors for the third consecutive season. The 2001 awards were announced on Tuesday following a vote by the 11 head coaches.

Stewart finished the season seventh in the conference with 3.85 digs per game and tenth in digs at 3.41 per game. She's one of only three players in the league to place among the top 10 in both categories, and she also led the Jumbos with 0.63 service aces per game. She had a 30-kill match against Clark University on October 10. Add 71 total blocks, second on the team, and Stewart truly was an ALL-star player for Head Coach Kris Talon.

Behind her leadership, Tufts finished 20-12 overall and third in the NESCAC with a 6-3 mark. They were ranked eighth in the final New England Division III poll. Tufts won the Coast Guard Invitational to open the season.

Stewart was honored by the NESCAC for each of her four seasons at Tufts. She was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 1998, then was picked to the All-NESCAC First Team as a sophomore, junior and now senior.

Last fall as a junior, Stewart was sixth in the NESCAC with 3.53 kills per game and added 2.64 digs per game. She was a sophomore sensation in 1999, placing second in NESCAC with 3.8 kills per game. She led Tufts as a freshman with 3.06 kills and pitched in 3.13 digs per game.

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