Teams: Volleyball: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS WIN THIRD TUFTS INVITATIONAL TITLE WITH 4-0 RECORD DURING WEEKEND

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL FINAL SCORES
Tufts Invitational
Tufts 3, Potsdam St. 0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-10)
Tufts 3, Keene St. 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-12)

At Medford, MA
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Potsdam State Match Statistics

Keene State Match Statistics

Tufts Invitational MVP Dena Feiger

MEDFORD -- The Tufts University Jumbos won their final two matches in the Sixth Annual Tufts Volleyball Invitational, 3-0 over Potsdam State (25-14, 25-9, 25-10) and 3-0 over Keene State (25-21, 25-13, 25-12), to win the championship on Saturday afternoon at the Cousens Gymnasium. Tufts and MIT both finished with 4-0 records during the weekend, but did not play head-to-head. Tufts was declared the champion based upon their 12-1 mark in sets. MIT was 12-2 in sets.

Senior co-captain Dena Feiger (Long Grove, IL) was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She averaged 10.6 assists and 2.9 digs per set. Junior Caitlin Updike (Manhattan Beach, CA) was named to the All-Tournament team after leading the Jumbos with 46 kills over the weekend.

Potsdam State could not handle the Jumbos in the first match of the day as Tufts jumped out to a 9-1 first-set advantage. Through the three-set sweep for Tufts, there was only one tie and there was not a single lead change.

Tufts' largest lead of the first two sets was also the final margin; 11 in set one (25-14), and 16 in set two (25-9). The only tie of the match came in the third set at 1-1, but from there the Jumbos took control again and built another 16-point lead at 22-6, and eventually won set three, 25-10. Tufts reeled together sizable streaks in each set, including six straight in set one, five straight in set two, and eight straight points in set three.

First-year Kendall Lord (LaJolla, CA) led the way for the Jumbos with 26 assists and eight digs in the match. Sophomore Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) was strong too with five service aces and eight digs, while Updike chipped in with a team-high ten kills.

In match two of the day against Keene State, the Owls seemed fit to challenge the Jumbos throughout as they held the first-set lead until about the mid-way point. Once Tufts tied it at 13, they took control and went on for the 25-21 first-set victory. This set would be the closest of the contest with three lead changes and five ties. Neither team built a lead larger than four.

The Jumbos asserted their dominance in the final two sets, taking a 3-2 lead in the second set and never relinquishing it. There were two early ties, but the Owls could not overtake Tufts in the set as the Jumbos sailed to the 25-13 win. More of the same followed in the third set with Tufts tallying the first nine points. The Jumbos' largest lead of the match came in this set at 21-7, with the team eventually winning the match, 25-12.

Junior Dawson Joyce-Mendive (Minden, NV) led Tufts in kills with 16, while senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson (Santa Cruz, CA) added 11 kills and eight digs. The team-high in digs belonged to Kuan for the second consecutive match as she notched 12. Feiger led with 34 assists and seven digs of her own.

This is the Jumbos' third Tufts Invitational championship and first since 2006. Tufts is now 16-1 overall for the season and will next play on Wednesday night at Cousens Gym in the final home match of the seasaon against Bowdoin at 7:30 pm. The Jumbos have now won 16 matches in a row after a season-opening loss.

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