Medford, MA - The Husson University volleyball team traveled to Massachusetts for day one of the MIT Invitational Tournament on Friday night.  

The Eagles ran into some stiff competition in their first two matches of the tourney, facing the Babson College Beavers and the Tufts University Jumbos.  Husson wound up taking two losses on the night, as Babson took the first match in straight sets (25-10, 25-18, 25-11), while Tufts also earned a sweep (25-10, 25-14, 25-9).  

In the first match of the night, the Babson Beavers (6-5) were able to overcome a low hitting percentage (.188) by serving up 16 aces to maintain control over the Eagles.  

Kseniya Pulido tallied five aces for the winners, while Julia Goldstein and Angela Price each contributed three.  Jenny Karnes put away a match-high six kills for Babson, while Goldstein added five and Kristen Kaislip had four.  Price and Krissy Robertson split the setting duties for the Beavers, each passing out 12 assists.  Pulido picked up a match-best 12 digs to go along with her five aces.

Husson was led by Nia Arranaga (San Jose, CA) with three kills in the match, while three other Eagles chipped in with two.  Bailey Cote (Biddeford, ME) had two solo blocks, and Kayla Hannon (Salem, NH) posted six assists.  

The Eagles had were right back on the court to take on the Tufts Jumbos next, and serving once again would prove to be a vital part of the opponent's success.  Tufts (3-3) totaled 18 aces in the match, with seven of them coming from Maddie Kuppe and four from Alex Garrett.  

Mary Maccabee put away eight kills on 17 attacks for the Jumbos, and Gillian Wahleithner chipped in with five on just ten attempts.  Kyra Baum ran an effective offense for the victors, handing out 25 assists in the three games.  

Husson (3-8) was led offensively by Arranaga again with three kills, and a trio of Husson players adding two apiece.  The Eagles hit -.091 for the match, putting away 11 kills while posting 16 errors on 55 total attacks.  

Sarah Wilson (Dover, NH) had 10 digs in defeat, while Hannon had six more assists and Ryan Hood (Princeton, ME) also had five helpers.  

Despite the losses, Husson coach Jodie Fairbank saw some positives from the matches, saying, "the girls are coming together with so many new players (10 of 17 on the roster are first-year players) that all see significant time.  We're making adjustments, making strides in a positive direction, and looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."

The Eagles will be back in action for day two of the MIT Invitational Tournament tomorrow at 1 o'clock when they face Emmanuel College (MA).