Hamilton College's Emma Parkhurst '21 totaled 21 assists and 12 digs for her fifth straight double-double this season in a four-set NESCAC loss to Tufts University at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday night.

Tufts (8-6, 3-1 NESCAC) won the first two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-6, respectively. Hamilton (3-6, 0-4) came back to win the third set 25-21 and the Jumbos won the fourth and deciding set 25-20. The Jumbos are receiving votes in the latest Division III national poll.

Dorothy Poucher '21 led the offense with 10 kills. Giuliana Rankin '20 and Claire Kitz '19 smashed eight kills apiece. Meghan Wilkinson '19 chipped in 11 assists and 11 digs, and Nikki Matsuoka '21 picked up 25 digs.

Rookie Cate Desler led the Jumbos with 12 kills and 14 digs, and Maddie Stewart totaled 11 kills. Brigid Bell served a career-high five aces and Rachel Furash had 26 assists.

Tufts jumped out to an early 14-7 lead in the first set and scored seven unanswered points before Hamilton began chipping away at the lead. The Continentals were down 22-10 when a Rankin kill sparked a 7-1 run by Hamilton to make the score 23-17, but a Tufts kill from Stewart and Hamilton ball-handling error ended the set. Bell posted all five of her aces in the second set to guide Tufts to a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set saw nine ties and eight lead changes, but Hamilton took the lead for good at 16-15 off a kill from Kendall Boxe '22. Boxe smashed another kill to make the score 24-20 and attack errors by both squads closed the set for a 25-21 Continentals win.

Kitz tied the fourth set at 15-15 and Poucher got Hamilton within one point at 19-18, but the Jumbos never relinquished the lead.

Hamilton hosts a tri-match with Bowdoin College and SUNY Polytechnic on Saturday in Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. The Continentals and Polar Bears first face off in NESCAC action at 1 p.m. Bowdoin and SUNY Poly follow with a match at 3 p.m., and Hamilton and SUNY Poly close the day at 5 p.m.