The Middlebury volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss at #24 Tufts on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers travel to Plymouth State on Tuesday for a 6:00 p.m. match.
 
Middlebury jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first set, highlighted by a pair of kills from both Lucy Ambach and Corley Doyle. The Jumbos chipped away at the deficit, getting within five (19-14) on a kill by Jennifer Ryan, but the Panthers held strong and recorded a 25-20 victory.
 
Tied 5-5 in the second set, a three-point spurt from Tufts gave the hosts their first lead of the match, capped by a service ace from Cat Desler to make it 8-5. The Jumbos never looked back during the set, easing to a 25-18 win. 
 
Tufts' Rileigh Farragher recorded a pair of kills to open the third stanza, as the Jumbos jumped out to a 5-0 advantage. Laney Sullivan had three straight kills to cut the deficit to three (12-9), but the Jumbos maintained a solid lead en route to the 25-20 triumph. 
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle with the score tied five times before Middlebury could take a lead. Trailing 14-13, the Panthers tallied four points to take a 17-14 edge, capped by a kill and a service ace from Ali Wheeler. Tufts responded, scoring four of the next five points to tie the match at 18 points apiece. The teams traded the next three points before a four-point Jumbos surge gave the hosts a 23-20 advantage. Middlebury clawed its way back, knotting the match 24-24, but Tufts held strong and secured the victory 26-24.
 
Sullivan led the Panthers with 12 kills, while Maggie Wise had 11. Kelly Ferrero dug up 15 balls, Katie Kraczkowsky had 13 digs, and Gabbie O'Toole recorded a game-high 40 assists.
 
Desler tallied a match-leading 18 kills to go along with 15 digs. Jenelle Yarwood had 16 kills, while Maddie Yu had 29 assists. Ryan recorded six blocks during the match and Stephanie Lee led all players with 19 digs.