Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Monday, October 23, 2006

PLAYER OF THE WEEK KELLI HARRISON LEADS JUMBOS TO 4-1 MARK

MEDFORD – The Tufts University volleyball team reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight season and for the 12th time overall last week by winning four out of five matches away from home. Senior co-captain Kelli Harrison (Blue Jay, CA/Rim of the World) led the way and was selected New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week for the second time in her career.

A 5'9" outside hitter, Harrison gets it done offensively and defensively for the Jumbos. Last week she averaged 4.39 kills per game to lead the team by a wide margin, while her 3.72 digs per game was second on the squad for the week. To that she also added six blocks, four assists and three service aces. She hit at a .271 clip with 79 kills overall in 18 games with 20 errors in 218 total chances.

The Jumbos had two huge wins over highly ranked regional opponents during the week. At Springfield in the Hall of Fame Tournament on Friday night, Harrison had 25 kills in five games along with 19 digs against the Pride. She followed that up by hitting .316 with 16 kills in a 3-0 victory against Williams, the NESCAC leader. Though the match did not count in conference play, it gave the Jumbos confidence as they approach the upcoming conference tournament. Harrison was the catalyst.

Tufts played into the championship match of the Hall of Fame Tournament against MIT on Saturday, losing 3-0. Earlier in the week on Tuesday, Harrison had put forth 18 kills and 21 digs to go with three blocks during a NESCAC win at Connecticut College.

For the season, Harrison is in the NESCAC top 10 with a .256 hitting percentage. Her 385 kills total are the second-most in the conference, amounting to a 4.28 average per game. She was also NESCAC's Player of the Week on October 5 during her sophomore season. She was a First Team All-NESCAC pick as a freshman and sophomore before her junior season last fall was stalled by an injury. She's back on that track again as a senior.

Tufts is 21-6 overall for Coach Cora Thompson, including 5-2 in NESCAC. They still have a chance to host the NESCASC Tournament November 3-5 entering the final week of the regular-season. Conference matches against Bowdoin, Hamilton and Williams remain for the Jumbos.

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