Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Thursday, November 18, 2004
Written by Jason Varney

HARRISON, EVANS RECEIVE AVCA ALL-NEW ENGLAND RECOGNITION

MEDFORD-- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Wednesday announced its NCAA Division III All-Region Teams, and two Jumbos were among the New England Region honorees. Tufts sophomore Kelli Harrison (Blue Jay, CA/Rim of the World) was named to the New England Region team, while junior Courtney Evans (Bellaire, TX/Episcopal) earned Honorable Mention status for the region.

Harrison led the Jumbo offense this season, playing all but one of the Jumbos' 118 games. She led her team with a total of 396 kills on the 2004 season, for an average of 3.38 per game. In addition, Harrison was third on the team in service aces, with a 38 over the course of the season. Along with her obvious offensive contributions, the sophomore played an integral part in the team's defense, placing second on the team in digs with a total of 415 (3.55 per game) and third on the team in blocks with a total of 66 (0.56 per game)

Evans also played a huge role in Jumbo scoring this season. She led the team in service aces with a total of 54, and was second only to Harrison in kills with a total of 236 on the season, averaging 2.07 per game. At the same time, Evans helped the Jumbos prevent the opposition from scoring, leading the team with 142 blocks over the course of the fall season, for an average of 1.25 per game, also putting up 86 digs for the Jumbos this fall.

The Jumbos, under head coach Cora Thompson, ended the season with an outstanding record of 28-6 (9-1 NESCAC), one of the best finishes of any Tufts volleyball team. The 2004 campaign was highlighted by a 16-match win streak that stretched through the first three weeks of October, surpassing the 1994 team's 15-match streak. Heading into postseason action, Tufts rolled past the Bowdoin Polar Bears in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament, 3-0, going on to face Amherst in the semifinal round, where they squeaked out a 3-2 over the Jeffs to earn a berth to the conference championship. In spite of a strong Jumbo effort, #24 ranked Williams College handed the Tufts team a 3-0. Tufts ended the season with a second place finish in the tournament, as well as second place in the final conference standings.

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