Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Thursday, November 13, 2003
Written by Elliott Wiley, Jr.

HARRISON NAMED ALL-NESCAC FIRST TEAM IN VOLLEYBALL

MEDFORD -- After being named to the honorable mention All-New England Volleyball team last week, Tufts University freshman outside hitter Kelli Harrison (Blue Jay, CA/Rim of the World) was named to the All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) First Team today. She is one of six players in the league named to the First Team.

Harrison tallied a team-high 3.65 kills per game, with 413 in 113 games played. Her kills average is also good enough for sixth overall in the NESCAC. In addition, she finished 32 percent of her kill opportunities, which ranks her ninth in the league. After the team lost returning hitter Amy Cronin (Kirkland, WA) to an injury, Harrison took over as the go-to person on offense.

She contributed to multiple facets of the game for Head Coach Cora Thompson's Jumbos. Her 34 service aces were second on the team, and her 265 digs were third. In a four-game match against Bates on November 1, Harrison put down 14 kills and displayed her versatility with 12 digs and two service aces. In the following match against Colby, Harrison continued her hot streak with a team-high hitting percentage (36.7%), totaling 15 kills and 13 digs. In the four games played, Harrison only committed four errors.

In Tufts' only league game at home, the Jumbos fell to rival Amherst, 3-1, on October 18. In the contest, Harrison made 14 kills, but once again displayed versatility by making four blocks, more than she had in any other NESCAC match. She averaged 0.49 blocks per game.

On October 11 at Trinity in a straight-game victory over Wesleyan, Harrison had her most efficient game of the year. In only 25 attempts, Harrison finished 16 kills and made only one error, good for her NESCAC-best hitting percentage (60%).

Tufts finished its regular season in fifth place with a 6-4 NESCAC record. The Jumbos drew fourth-seed Amherst in the first round of the conference playoffs. After winning the first two games of the match, Tufts seemed poised to move on. However the Jumbos ended up falling to the Jeffs 3-2. Even in defeat, Harrison played a solid game, making 17 kills and 17 digs in five games.

Tufts finished its season 20-11.

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