PREVIEW: Women’s Volleyball Set to Make NCAA Tournament Debut Friday Night at Tufts

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team will travel to Tufts for a NCAA Tournament First Round matchup with the Jumbos Friday, November 15 at 8:00 PM.

BASICS:
Date: 11/15/19
Location: Cousens Gymnasium | Medford, Mass.
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: Adults $8 - Students & Senior Citizens $5
Follow: Live Stats | Live Video

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Eastern Nazarene sports a 17-6 overall record heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Lions captured the program's first New England Collegiate Conference Championship November 10, knocking off New England College 3-1 in the finals.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:
Eastern Nazarene earned the NECC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and is making its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

ENC vs. TUFTS – ALL-TIME SERIES:
Friday's match will mark the 23rd all-time meeting between Eastern Nazarene and Tufts. The Lions own a 7-15 all-time record versus the Jumbos with the last ENC win coming in 1982.

SCOUTING THE JUMBOS:
Tufts enters the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 14 in the AVCA National Poll and No. 1 in the NCAA Regional Rankings with a 27-1 overall record. The Jumbos clinched their second NESCAC title with a 3-2 victory over Bowdoin in the NESCAC Tournament championship match. Maddie Stewart, the NESCAC Player of the Year, paces Tufts with 274 kills on the year to go with 64 blocks and 59 digs.

BRACKETOLOGY:
The winner of Friday night's clash will advance to the Round of 32 Saturday, November 16 to square off against the winner of the Bowdoin vs. Endicott matchup. Check out the entire 2019 NCAA Tournament bracket HERE.

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES:
Eastern Nazarene garnered four All-New England Collegiate Conference nods, as the conference announce the postseason awards earlier this week. Sophomore Ruth Aguilar (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) was named the NECC Player of the Year. Courtney McCarthy (Merrimack, N.H.) joined Aguilar on the All-NECC first team for the second-consecutive year. Halle Julian (Whitman, Mass.) and Rebecca Thorne (Quincy, Mass.) were both selected to the All-NECC second team. Aguilar was tabbed the NECC Tournament Most Valuable Player while McCarthy and Jessica Caldwell (Quincy, Mass.) also earned NECC All-Tournament honors.

KILLER QUEENS:
Sophomore Ruth Aguilar (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) paces the league with 3.67 kills per set and 279 kills on the year. Senior Courtney McCarthy (Merrimack, N.H.) ranks fourth in the NECC with 237 kills 2.93 kills per set on the season.

QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS - CITY OF PRESIDENTS CHAMPIONS:
In the 2019 calendar year, five ENC athletic teams captured conference championships – including three titles this fall. The Lions' softball team took home its first-ever New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) crown on the same day as the men's tennis team claimed the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship for the first time in program history last spring. The ENC women's tennis team captured the GNAC championship for the first time in team history this fall while the men's soccer team and women's volleyball team claimed New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) titles on the same day.

ENC AT THE BIG DANCE:
Eastern Nazarene has sent three previous teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders' women's basketball team advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the 1999-2000 season as the first squad to reach the NCAA Tournament in school history. Last spring, the Lions' men's tennis and softball teams both picked up a win in their NCAA Tournament debuts.