It is impossible to look back on the volleyball team's season without recognizing the dramatic impact that injuries had on this team. The manic highs and lows, the long winning streaks followed by unexpected losses and the periods of brilliance that proved impossible to hold onto were in many ways symptoms of the injury bug that had bit the Jumbos.
The injuries set in early, as the Jumbos lost two of its three outside hitters, senior co-captain Dana Fleisher and sophomore Caitlyn Dealy, to shoulder injuries. And the bug came back with a vengeance last weekend, as senior co-captain Kelli Harrison and sophomore setter Kaitlin O'Reilly both watched from the sidelines as the Jumbos fell 3-2 to Conn. College in the a season-ending first round NESCAC Tournament game.
"Obviously with any injury, you lose players, but what we've been saying from the beginning of the season is that we have a very deep bench skill-wise," Harrison said. "It's still hard when you bring on new players that are lacking experience, but I think our team did have the ability to handle these injuries."
The team finished at 23-8, another highly successful season for fifth-year coach Cora Thompson. But a first-round exit from the NESCAC Tournament this weekend proves that nothing can be taken for granted in New England volleyball.
The Jumbos entered the season hoping to build on last year's NCAA Tournament run that led to the national quarterfinals. But a disappointing performance at the season-opening Buttermaker Tournament kicked off a tough start to the season, as the Jumbos came home from Muhlenberg, Pa., with a 2-2 mark and the first of its three losses to MIT.
Yet the team was able to find help in some unexpected places. After struggling to a 3-3 overall start and a 2-2 NESCAC start, Tufts finished the season 23-8 and 7-3 in the conference, demonstrating the team's potential and team chemistry as it gained from court experience.
Perhaps the highlight of the Jumbos' season was their victory at the Tufts Invitational on Homecoming Weekend. It was at Cousens Gymnasium, where the Jumbos were a perfect 12-0 on the season, that they defeated MIT, then the No. 1 team in New England.
This win came during the Jumbos' best stretch of the season. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 21, Tufts went 14-1 with only one loss to eventual NESCAC champion Amherst. That lone loss, in which the Jumbos rallied from a 2-0 start before losing 3-2, was the only blemish on a streak that saw the Jumbos clicking on the floor and the rotation established by Thompson paying dividends.
The last win in this streak came against Williams, the eventual regular season winner. Tufts dominated the match, winning 3-0 and making a strong statement about their potential in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament.
But the Jumbos were eventually sunk by an inconsistency that has plagued them all season. At times, Tufts played like the top team in the region -- smart, steady and reliable. Yet other games saw the Jumbos looking flat, committing unforced errors and lacking the spark that made them so unstoppable during many of their wins.
"[The disappointment] is definitely what we're dealing with right now, but [the important wins] are definitely very strong memories," Harrison said. "The highlight of our season may have been the Hall of Fame Tournament, and that's what you're going to remember in five years."
Following the victory over Williams, the Jumbos' season took a turn for the worse. The squad went 2-2 to close out the regular season, defeating Bowdoin and Hamilton without dropping a game but unable pick up a game against MIT or Williams.
This all culminated in the loss to Conn. College in the NESCAC Tournament. The injury-depleted Jumbos, lacking momentum from the end of the regular season, put up a fight but were unable to prevent a disappointing end to a wild season.
"I don't think that anyone would think that we lived up to our potential," Fleisher said. "It ended abruptly, and I think everyone is pretty disappointed."
The team did witness some extraordinary performances this year. Harrison was a leader on both sides of the ball, topping the stat box in kills and finishing in the top three in digs. Her absence from the team's lineup at the Conn. College game played a large role in the Jumbo's defeat.
"She's definitely a huge part of the team and it was a lot harder for us to play when she wasn't on the court," Fleisher said. "She brings so much experience, and she always contributes in every single game."
With the loss of Harrison to graduation, the Jumbos will return the two other legs of their offensive tripod. Sophomore Stacy Filocco stepped up to fill the void as outside hitter after injuries claimed Fleisher and Dealy and she provided a valuable stabilizing element into a volatile early-season rotation, with 283 kills. Junior Katie Wysham finished second on the team in digs and used her 6'1" frame to lead the team with 147 blocks.
On the other end, some young players stepped up defensively for the Jumbos. Sophomores Natalie Goldstein and Maya Ripecky both saw steady playing time and ranked first and second respectively on the team in digs. O'Reilly was the team's primary setter all-season and was widely recognized as one of the best setters in the conference, picking up a pair of All-Tournament awards this season.
Although injuries were an obstacle to the Jumbos' success season this year, they may have aided the program in unseen ways. Many younger players earned valuable experience this year filling in for injured teammates, and with the loss of only Harrison and Fleisher and the return of Dealy from injured, this young squad already has their eyes set on the 2007 NESCAC crown.
