BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team fell to #21 Tufts University 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-19) on Tuesday evening at the Campus Rec Center Gymnasium.
For the Hawks, Peyton Felix (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) led the offense with 10 kills and no errors across 33 attacks for a .303 hitting percentage while adding seven digs. Angela West (Riverview, Fla.) and Claire Davis (Trumbull, Conn.) recorded five kills apiece. West added three block assists, while Davis contributed one solo block and two block assists. Ava Lombardo (Newtown, Conn.) distributed 20 assists and collected seven digs, and Marianna Hernandez (Norwalk, Conn.) anchored the back row with a match-high 13 digs and four assists.
For Tufts, Hazel Nelson and Emma Heckman finished with 10 kills apiece. Nelson hit .500, while Heckman posted a .474 hitting percentage with four service aces and nine digs. Tessa Fergusson added six kills on a .417 clip and four block assists, while Ellery Clark directed the offense with 19 assists.
Tufts finished with a 43-27 advantage in kills and a 7-2 edge in service aces while hitting .196 as a team. Roger Williams posted a .152 hitting percentage and held a 7-5 advantage in team blocks.
The Jumbos broke a 2-2 tie in the opening set with five consecutive points to build a 7-2 advantage. Tufts later extended its lead to 17-7 and finished the frame with 18 kills on a .333 hitting percentage to secure a 25-15 victory.
The second set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. Roger Williams erased an 11-8 deficit with four straight points and later built a 16-13 advantage following a Davis kill. Tufts rallied to move ahead 19-18 before the Hawks tied the frame at 19. The Jumbos scored six of the final nine points to take the set, 25-22.
RWU pulled within one at 6-5 early in the third set, but Tufts responded with a 7-1 run to establish a 13-6 lead. The Hawks trimmed the margin to four at 17-13 before the Jumbos answered with five of the next six points. Roger Williams fought off three match points with kills from West and Felix and a block by West and Rylie Eisenhard (Pottstown, Pa.), but Tufts closed out the match with a 25-19 win.
Roger Williams (3-3, 0-0 CNE) returns to action at the Skidmore Classic in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Hawks open the tournament against Middlebury College on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. before facing host Skidmore College at 11 a.m. and Williams College at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
