MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Colby went toe-to-toe with Tufts in the NESCAC Championship and never stopped swinging, falling 20–25, 25–18, 21–25, 21–25 on November 15 in Middletown but showing the grit that defined the Mules all season. The Jumbos opened blistering hot at .429 in the first, yet Colby answered immediately with a commanding second set, tightening first contact, finding the middles in tempo, and hitting .320 with just two errors to level the match 1–1. From there it was a prizefight. In the third, the Mules out-killed Tufts 15–11, pushing rallies deep and scoring in transition, but a handful of late errors tipped the frame. Colby kept pressing in the fourth, stringing together service pressure and block touches to carve out chances, only for Tufts to escape on a few more end-game plays.
The competitiveness shows in the totals. Colby finished with more kills on the night, 52–50, and matched Tufts swing for swing through long defensive sequences, but the Jumbos' lower error rate proved the difference (.225 to .160). The Mules' response after the first set—flipping serve-receive, turning digs into points, and riding timely aces from multiple servers—captured their fight. Even as Tufts tried to run away late, Colby kept tallying sideouts, earned extra chances with disciplined block hands, and forced the Jumbos to hit through set-ending pressure rather than handing anything over. Brady Moseley paced the offense with 11 kills and added three aces and 12 digs, while Marjorie Johnson and Ingrid Zahn chipped in eight kills apiece. From the line, Moseley's three aces were matched by timely serves from Gabby Grujic and Cyanne Jones with two each. At the net, Kendall Glover led with three blocks, as Jones and Zahn added two more apiece to close seams in key rallies. The setting tandem kept Colby in rhythm as Grujic dished 21 assists and Sydney DeProfio added 16 with 10 digs—while libero Alli McKenney anchored the back row with a match-high 19 digs, reflecting the Mules' relentless defensive engine
It wasn't the ending the Mules wanted, but it was the performance of a finalist: resilient, balanced, and fearless on the biggest stage. Colby exits as NESCAC runner-up and now awaits an NCAA Division III at-large bid, confident that the same serve pressure, back-row resolve, and multi-threat offense that carried them to the title match can power a deep run on the national stage.
