Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Saturday, November 8, 2003
Written by Elliott Wiley, Jr.

HARRISON HONORED AS VOLLEYBALL ALL-NEW ENGLAND

MEDFORD -- All the way from the Rim of the World, freshman Kelli Harrison (Blue Jay, CA/Rim of the World HS) has killed the competition for the Tufts University Volleyball team this season. Her ability, marked by her team-leading 3.65 kills per game, was recognized today as Harrison was named an honorable mention selection to the All-New England teams.

The team, composed of a first, second, and honorable mention team, is New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) heavy. Of the total 18 slots, there are nine NESCAC representatives with Harrison being Tufts' only representative.

Harrison, an outside hitter, had impact for the Jumbos since her first collegiate contest on September 9 at home against MIT. In the match, Harrison had a team-high 16 kills in four games. To prove her first performance wasn't a fluke, two nights later Harrison amassed 22 kills in four games played against Wellesley for her season-high.

The team traveled to the Coast Guard Invitational on September 13, going 2-1 in three contests. Harrison was named to her first All-Tournament team, with senior co-captain Amy Cronin (Kirkland, WA/Interlake) joining her. However, in the practice after the 3-2 loss against Coast Guard, Cronin sustained a season-ending ankle fracture. While the team suffered from not having Cronin on the court, Harrison became the consensus go-to player early in her career.

After a couple of head-to-head matches, Tufts participated in the MIT Tournament September 26-27. Harrison led the Jumbos with 3.16 kills per game, leading Tufts in kills during three of four matches. Her season-high of 23 digs came in a five-game loss to Colby at the tournament. For her efforts, Harrison was named to her second All-Tournament team in as many tournaments. She was Tufts' only representative.

The rest of the year, Harrison contributed in many of the same ways she did in the beginning of the season. She hit an incredible 73.3 percent, with 11 kills and no errors in 15 attempts, against Johnson & Wales on October 3 at the Bates College Invitational. She had four service aces, her best of the year, at Brandeis on October 21.

Harrison maintained her team-lead in kills throughout the year, finishing with 413 while playing in 113 games, two games from the team high. She was also second on the team with 36 aces and was second with 265 digs. Her 32.0 hitting percentage was also among the team leaders.

Tufts finished its season with a 20-11 record after losing 3-2 to Amherst in the first round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament at Williams College on November 7. Harrison is one of several young players Head Coach Cora Thompson will welcome back next fall.

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