Days after opening the 2024 campaign with a win against Worcester Polytechnic Institute in straight sets on Sep. 3, the Tufts women’s volleyball team traveled to Washington University in St. Louis for a trio of matches against competitive opponents. Flexibility with the lineup, point-by-point adjustments and strong serve reception performances were the highlights of the weekend, and the Jumbos returned to Medford with an even record ahead of a slate of home matches.
The team opened the East/West classic against Colorado College on Sept. 6 and notched a victory in three straight sets. Sophomore Emma Heckman led the offense with 10 kills while her teammate Rianna Lu added 22 assists and 13 digs. Junior Julia Griffiths contributed seven kills of her own as well as three blocks to silence the Tigers’ offense. Sophomore Akpevwe Akpoigbe put on a serving clinic, scoring four aces to top off the win.
“I think that Colorado College came out very competitive and with a lot of energy, and I think that we were just able to match that and then exceed that,” Griffiths said. “Everyone was playing really hard, the vibes were great, we were really translating what we worked on in practice. I think there was generally a feeling that everyone was playing for the team, not for themselves, which was great.”
The Jumbos’ high energy pressured the Tigers into making eight hitting errors in the third set, which Tufts handled by a score of 25–18 to secure the win.
“Among all that high energy excitement, we were able to stay pretty calm and in control while still bringing the energy, which I think helped us minimize the ruts [and] get off some strong runs, which ended up working out pretty well for us,” said Griffiths to sum up the contest.
The night’s rest proved necessary when Tufts played No. 9-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges a full five sets in the first match of a double-header on Sep. 7. Heckman and graduate student Christine Audette both had eight kills, while sophomore Abigail Gray led the offense with 10. Defense proved key in extending the match and keeping the Athenas off balance, as the Jumbos tallied 14 blocks.
“We just sort of proved to ourselves that we are, as a team, able to keep pace with and play hard against a team as strong and competitive as CMS. Rankings aren’t everything, but they are telling,” Griffiths said. “Even though the result wasn’t really what we wanted, obviously, I think that the fact that we were able to push it to five sets while still maintaining the energy and the high intensity throughout. It’s just a testament to our overall attitude of hard work, our skills as a team and our determination to keep it going.”
Though the Jumbos ultimately fell 3–2 against CMS, their longest match of the season so far provided multiple learning moments that were key in helping the team find its identity early in the season.
“We also showed a lot of flexibility in that match. There were a decent amount of subs and lineup changes because it was a really long game, and I think we were able to keep ourselves cohesive throughout that whole process,” said Griffiths. “We went into the game beforehand with the goal of recognizing that CMS was going to potentially bring something different against us versus what we scouted, and we just wanted to be able to adjust our own strategy accordingly… that was definitely a crucial aspect that allowed us to keep it close and competitive.”
The final match of the weekend for Tufts against the host WashU Bears began shortly after the five-set thriller. The Jumbos fell in three straight sets, struggling to find a consistent offensive groove following the short recovery time.
“I just think we weren’t able to consistently meet the speed and the strength that WashU brought against us. They ran a pretty fast offense, they had some really strong hitters,” Griffiths explained. “Our serve receive did a really good job keeping us in the game… our block just struggled and our defense struggled a little bit to finish at the points where we could have.”
Tufts volleyball finished with a 1–2 record in Missouri, but the matches helped the group gain experience and play with more connection. Stepping into a more prominent role this year, Griffiths commented on what she learned from past leadership and that she plays on the court with a special gratitude.
“I’ve had a lot of great examples of leadership and good game play from my upperclassmen over the past two years … we also graduated a lot of seniors, so I think that all of us upperclassmen and all of us returners knew that we had really big shoes to fill and we were and are still really excited to do so,” she said. “More personally, I’ve dealt with a couple of injuries over the past couple of years, which is a bit unfortunate, but [it’s] really made me grateful for just being able to play with my team, and whatever court time I can get is a bonus and super fun.”
Back in Medford, the Jumbos are looking forward to Homecoming weekend, which is always an exciting series of contests for Tufts athletics. The volleyball team will face Christopher Newport University, Whittier College and Calvin University on Friday and Saturday.
“We’re probably all just mostly excited to be able to play in front of a weekend crowd at home,” said Griffiths. “We’ve only had one home game so far, it was a Tuesday, so this weekend specifically is always super fun for everyone playing and watching.”
