After compiling a 20-3 record to start the season against mostly New England competition, the volleyball team traveled south this past weekend to the Emory National Invitational to prove it was more than just a regional power.
Playing as the first-ever Tufts team to compete in an out-of-region tournament, the Jumbos finished fifth out of eight teams with a 2-2 record. After proving themselves worthy of the competition with two wins over southern and a midwestern teams, the Jumbos could not overcome the tournament's two best teams, dropping 3-0 matches to Millikin University (Ill.) and host No. 3 Emory University.
"I thought we played really well," freshman libero Natalie Goldstein said. "Overall, we learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses. We decreased our number of unforced errors, which was really good for us."
The Jumbos closed the weekend with a match against the Emory Eagles, the clear tournament favorite. The Eagles were a huge test for the Jumbos as the highest-ranked team on their schedule this season. The Jumbos were eager to see how they would match up against one of the nation's best teams.
"Emory is an amazing team," coach Cora Thompson said. "They're very talented and disciplined, not to mention very deep in terms of talent on their bench. They compete against top teams regularly and came out strong, as we expected."
In the end, the Jumbos were no match for an Eagles team that dropped only one game in the entire tournament. The Eagles swooped all over the Tufts in the first game, winning 30-15.
"We came out tense and intimidated at first, but after the first game we loosened up and realized that we were not doing what we are capable of doing well," Thompson said.
Knowing they could not afford to play conservatively, the Jumbos played with increased aggressiveness in game two. However, the effort fell short as the Eagles won 30-26 before closing out the Jumbos and the tournament with a 30-21 win in the third game.
"More than anything it opened our eyes to what kind of competition is out there," Thompson said. "Our team sees that now and wants to be where Emory is."
The match was the second of the day for the Jumbos against a top team. Earlier in the day, the team took on Millikin University, which has received votes for the national top-25.
In the first game, the Jumbos started off flat, and a comeback effort was not enough to hold off at 30-24 Millikan win. The Jumbos repeated the pattern in the second game with a slow start followed by a comeback, but Millikin hung on once again with a 30-28 victory to take a two-game edge in the match. After winning the first two games by close scores, the Blue ran away with the third game, 30-17.
"We came out flat not knowing really what to expect and made too many ball control errors on our side," Thompson said. "Our passing was off, which, in turn, handicaped our offense."
Although the Jumbos were unsuccessful on Saturday, Friday's matches were a different story. On Friday, Tufts opened the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Meredith (N.C.) and a 3-1 win over Heidelberg (Ohio).
Tufts opened up the tournament on the right foot, cruising past Meredith. After a fairly close opening game that went 30-24 to the Jumbos, Tufts reeled off 30-22 and 30-20 victories to sweep the match.
"It was an easy game for us," Goldstein said. "It was a warm-up for the tournament. We didn't play that well, but we won because we were so much better of a team."
Later in the day, the squad pulled out a tight match against Heidelberg 3-1. After edging Heidelberg 30-28 in a tight first game, the Jumbos got bounced in the second game, 30-16.
After struggling in game two to stop Heidelberg's outside hitter on the right side, Thompson moved senior co-captain Courtney Evans to the outside and moved sophomore Katie Wysham to the middle. The switch worked, as the Jumbos pulled off a 30-28 win in game three before closing the match with a 30-26 victory.
The Jumbos played solid defense all match, as freshman Caitlin Dealy's 30 digs led a group of four Jumbos that recorded 24 or more.
"It was a huge win," Thompson said. "It means that we stepped up and represented New England against a great program. We stayed composed and relaxed when we needed to and showed them that we are a team that will fight you tooth and nail."
The Jumbos were without leading hitter junior Kelli Harrison, who stayed home after suffering a concussion last week. Her replacements faired well, however, as sophomore Kay Lutostanski was one of only three non-Emory players to make the All-Tournament team.
With their non-conference schedule finished, Thompson's squad will refocus its attention on its NESCAC season. Second in the conference at 6-1, the Jumbos will fight for position in the NESCAC Tournament in their final three games of the season.
