The Middlebury volleyball team earned its 10th-consecutive victory with a 3-1 triumph over Tufts Saturday from Pepin Gymnasium. It was a historical afternoon for Gabbie O'Toole, as the senior setter became the second player in program history to surpass the 3,000 assist mark. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The conference foes opened the first with a tug of war, splitting the initial 20 points. Middlebury broke the 10-10 tie with a 3-0 burst with kills from Ava Tuccio and Molly Harrison to take a 13-10 lead.
• Tufts rallied the troops with a 5-1 run capped by consecutive service aces from Claire Castor to jump ahead by one at 16-15.
• The Panthers weathered the storm, as a kill by Devin McCormack sparked five consecutive points to jump back ahead (20-16).
• The Jumbos rallied late, getting within a point (23-22) before Tuccio and McCormack teamed up for a block to clinch the set 25-22.
• Middlebury took control right out of the gates in the second frame, jumping out to an 11-4 advantage that included four service aces.
• The gas pedal stayed down for the home team, as the Panthers built their lead up to eight (17-8) on a kill by Harrison. 
• Tufts did not go away, using consecutive attacks from Emma Heckman to jolt a 7-0 run and tie the set at 19 apiece.
• Lillian Caldwell and Harrison kept Middlebury on course, securing two kills late to seal the middle frame 25-23.
• The Jumbos flipped the script in the third, racing to a 7-1 lead with three blocks from Julia Griffiths. 
• Harrison put the Panthers on her back immediately after with four kills to cut the lead to one (10-9).
• Tufts was not phased by the run, ripping off a 7-0 burst that included five consecutive kills to build the cushion back to eight (18-10). 
• Middlebury pulled within four on a kill by Harrison (20-16), but consecutive successful attacks by Castor and Liu closed out the third for the visitors at 25-17.
• Both teams jockeyed for position to begin the fourth, splitting the first eight points until Gabby Pribisich and McCormack had back-to-back kills to push the Panthers ahead, 10-8.
• Tufts continued to hang around within two, but a 7-2 surge led by four kills combined from Harrison and Tuccio pushed Middlebury's advantage to seven (21-14).
• The Jumbos made a late charge with six consecutive points to make it 22-19, before Tuccio stopped the comeback attempt with consecutive blocks to seal the fourth (25-19).

NOTES

• O'Toole finished with 40 assists, running her career total to 3,006. The senior eclipsed the 40-helper plateau for the 17th time in a Panther uniform. 
• Harrison tied her season high with 19 kills in Saturday's triumph and recorded the 500th in her career.
• Tuccio secured double-digit kills for the sixth time this season and has tallied two blocks or more in eight consecutive matches.
• The Panthers hold a 19-18 edge in the all-time series and have won the last two head-to-head battles with the Jumbos.

Middlebury hits the road for a NESCAC weekend, starting with a match against Bowdoin on Friday at 7:00 p.m. followed by a battle with Colby on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.