Teams: Volleyball: Schedule & Results

TUFTS BLANKS BOWDOIN IN NESCAC MATCH ON SENIORS' NIGHT

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL FINAL SCORE
Tufts 3, Bowdoin 0  (25-17, 25-22, 25-20)

At Medford, MA
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Match Statistics

Senior Brogie Helgeson

Senior Dena Feiger

MEDFORD -- The Tufts University volleyball team celebrated Seniors' Night on Tuesday with a three-set NESCAC victory against Bowdon College at Cousens Gymnasium.

Tufts honored senior co-captains Brogie Helgeson (Santa Cruz, CA) and Dena Feiger (Long Grove, IL) prior to the last regular-season home match of the season. Both players then pitched in to the victory, which was the 17th in a row for Tufts (17-1, 3-0 NESCAC). Coach Cora Thompson's team finished their regular-season home schedule at 10-0. Bowdoin, which lost for the first time in six matches, dropped to 11-6 overall and 1-2 in the league.

Helgeson served a four-point run that gave Tufts the edge early in the first set. Her ace later in the set put Tufts up 19-12, and the Jumbos went on to a 25-17 victory. Tufts junior Dawson Joyce-Mendive (Minden, NV) had five kills in the set, including the 22nd and 23rd points to help the Jumbos put it away.

The second set was much closer, as an 18-18 score was the twelfth tie. The Polar Bears took a 21-19 lead on kills by senior co-captain Gillian Page (Mercer Island, WA) and first-year Melissa Haskell (Medfield, MA), forcing a Tufts time out. The Jumbos came out of the huddle and scored six of the final seven points to take the match 25-22.

Feiger served four straight points to open the third set and Tufts jumped to a 7-2 lead. Bowdoin came back to 9-8, with the offensive output of sophomore Kristin Hanczor (Redding, CT) leading the way. The Polar Bears took a 14-12 advantage after a kill by junior Stephanie Drumright and a Tufts error, but the Jumbos scored the next five points to lead 17-14. Bowdoin rallied to tie it 17-17, but Tufts junior Caitlin Updike (Manhattan Beach, CA) finished off a strong set with six kills and the Jumbos scored the final four points to win the set 25-20 and take the match.

Updike and Joyce-Mendive were practically unstoppable for the Jumbos, combining for 28 kills and just four errors in 63 attempts (.381 hitting percentage). Feiger averaged 12.7 assist per set with 38 total. Defensively, sophomore Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) finished with 22 digs, junior Erica Lokken (Houston, TX) had a solo block and three assists, and Helgeson assisted on three blocks.

Page and Hanczor led Bowdoin with six kills each, while Page also recorded 13 digs in the match.  Haskell finished with five kills and 12 digs. Senior setter Jenna Diggs (LaJolla, CA) had 16 assists.

Tufts now heads to Bowdoin this weekend for conference matches against Bates and Colby. Bowdoin will also play Colby and Bates at home this weekend.

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