The Tufts volleyball season ended with a 3-0 loss to Williams College in the NESCAC Championship semifinals on Saturday. The fourth-seeded Jumbos saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end, as they suffered their first loss since Oct. 12, finishing the year with an overall record of 20-8.
"The NESCAC playoffs are competitive, and at the end of the day it came down to ball control and energy," freshman Elizabeth Ahrens said. "Williams was a great battle, and we definitely had some good moments against them."
Most of those moments came in the first set, which was close but ultimately won by Williams, 25-22. The second and third sets were blowouts, with Tufts falling 11-25 and 8-25.
Despite the disappointing finish, several Jumbos still managed to play well. Sophomore defensive specialist Carolina Berger served two aces and made nine digs, while classmate Kyra Baum facilitated the offense with 15 assists.
The first-seeded Ephs went on to sweep the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Sunday, winning their first NESCAC title since 2009.
Senior tri-captain Virginia Clay maintained that the Jumbos were just as good as the conference champions.
"Williams played very well this weekend, and they are a very talented team, but I know that we are just as talented and have just as much heart as they do, if not more," she said. "Unfortunately, I think we let the pressure of the match get to us, and we lost the confidence that we needed to win."
Tufts faced the additional challenge of playing a grueling quarterfinals match over Conn. College the day before. The Jumbos needed all five sets to dispatch the fifth-seeded Camels, who battled back after coming within one point of being swept.
Tufts got off to a great start, overcoming an early deficit in the first set to win 25-21. The second set went down to the wire, tied at 24 before junior hitters Hayley Hopper and Isabel Kuhel delivered consecutive kills to clinch the victory.
Up 2-0, the Jumbos were poised to finish off the sweep after taking a 24-16 lead in the third set. But Tufts faltered, allowing Conn. to mount an impressive comeback with eight unanswered points to tie the game. With momentum on their side, the Camels staved off elimination with a stunning 30-28 victory.
The Jumbos rebounded from the crushing defeat to take a big lead early in the fourth set, but once again the Camels refused to quit. Conn. College went on to win another nail-biter, 27-25, and force a do-or-die fifth set.
The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead once more, and this time they didn't look back, cruising to a 15-8 victory to finish off the resilient Camels. Kuhel contributed 17 of Tufts' 51 kills, and Baum compiled 41 assists, lending a hand in over 80 percent of the Jumbos' kills.
Clay thought a loss of composure on Tufts' part allowed Conn. to creep back into the game.
"I think we wanted to win so badly that we let ourselves get a little bit frantic in the third and fourth sets," Clay said. "In the fifth set, we knew we had to collect ourselves and come back with the same focus and energy that helped us to win the first two sets, and that's exactly what we did."
The team's lone senior was happy to be a part of this year's squad and predicted that the team will enjoy another excellent season in 2014.
"I couldn't be more proud of this team and all of the hard work that each and every player has put into this season," Clay said. "It's been a wonderful run, and I have learned so much from my teammates and this program over the past four years. I can't wait to see what's in store for them."
