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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, December 19, 2024

Volleyball takes two out of three against competitive regional opponents

Jumbos battle hard in preparation for the NESCAC tournament.

The volleyball team is pictured during a match against Springfield on Oct. 25.

The volleyball team is pictured during a match against Springfield on Oct. 25.

Tufts volleyball kicked off a busy weekend competing in the New England Challenge with a scrappy 3-sets-to-1 win against Springfield College in the Cousens Gymnasium. The team loaded up its momentum and headed to Cambridge for the second day of contests. They started with a commanding 3–0 victory over Babson College before falling 3–1 to MIT in the event’s final match. Contributions from throughout the lineup and a fearless approach allowed the Jumbos to find success in important regional matchups ahead of the upcoming NESCAC tournament. A standout performance by sophomore middle blocker Akpevwe Akpoigbe earned her All-Tournament Team honors to top off the weekend.

The Jumbos stormed onto their home court on a mission to face the Pride after disappointing conference losses the week prior. The opening set established the tone for the match, a back-and-forth battle that went to extra points before junior middle blocker Julia Griffiths slammed the door with back-to-back blocks, and Tufts ultimately took the frame 28–26. Springfield responded with a 25–19 win in the second set. But the Jumbos locked down sets three and four with strong serves and timely blocks to secure the victory.

“This weekend, we had the goal to improve our game no matter what the end result could be. We came in with the mindset that mistakes are going to happen, but it is up to each of us individually to get past them and keep working towards improving our game no matter the score or circumstance,” graduate student outside hitter Christine Audette explained in an email to the Daily. “In volleyball or really any sport, it is very easy to focus on what the other team is doing, but we’ve adapted and improved upon our ability to focus on ourselves and our game.”

Tufts proved an offensive powerhouse in game two of the weekend against Babson. Sophomore opposite hitter Emma Heckman led the scoring with eight kills, and Audette followed closely behind with six. Akpoigbe tallied six kills along with four blocks, and senior middle blocker Alina Qi notched five kills, two blocks and two aces. The Beavers had no response for the Jumbos’ offensive machine, and the Jumbos took the match in three straight sets.

“This weekend, we did the little things better. We covered blocks that we did not cover previously, we put ourselves in better positions to block and dig differing hits, and, overall, we cleaned up the errors on our side,” Audette wrote. “Something I learned from these non-conference games is that being able to win those close sets is something that we can continually improve on going into the postseason. The team that fights in the last few points of the set with consistency and aggression is the team that will end up on top, which was evident from … both our wins and even our loss this weekend.”

Tufts put up a fight against MIT in the final contest of the weekend, but the Engineers held on for a 3–1 win over the Jumbos. The opening set went into extra points, but after going down 23–21, the Engineers went on a 5–1 point run to take the frame 26–24. Tufts worked from behind the entire second set, eventually tying the game at 20 before another late run by MIT propelled the Engineers ahead 2–0. The Jumbos did not go quietly, starting strong in the third set and leading for the entire frame, winning 25–21 to extend the match. But the fourth set was all MIT, who shut down Tufts 11–25 to earn the victory. Akpoigbe and Heckman again showed off their offensive prowess, leading the Jumbos with eight kills each, while Akpoigbe added two blocks. A third sophomore — outside hitter Claire Castor — had eight kills as well, and first-year outside hitter Keller Mobley contributed six points of her own.

Mobley is one out of a large first-year class on the volleyball team, but Audette was impressed by how the first-years exhibited abilities and attitudes well beyond their years. “Each and every one of the freshmen has impressed me in different aspects,” she wrote. “Whether they have taken starting positions on the court or are working their way back from injuries, they truly put so much effort into everything they do, which makes me so hopeful for the future of our program.”

Two more regular season matches stand between the Jumbos and the start of the NESCAC tournament. With an overall record of 11–10, the two contests will be important not only for Tufts’ win percentage but for the team’s confidence going into the postseason.

“Despite our record this year, I truly have held the mindset that we can do big things post-season. A challenge for me is ensuring that I continue to embody this confidence and grit so that my teammates will follow suit,” Audette wrote.

As one of only two senior veterans on this year’s squad, Audette has used her experience to inspire an overall young group, and she has seen firsthand that anything is possible in the postseason.

“When we beat Johns Hopkins in 2021 to advance to the Elite 8, we achieved something no one thought we were going to do. When we beat Wesleyan in the NESCAC Championship in 2022, we won yet another game that many people did not see ending in our favor,” she explained. “Both games have something in common; we didn’t care if other people believed we could win, but every individual on our team believed we could win, but every individual on our team believed we could win.”

After a season-ending injury that required major surgery last year, Audette has stepped onto the court with a renewed gratitude for the game and a unique perspective that she uses to instill a grateful mindset in all of her teammates.

“This whole experience has made me so grateful for my health and the opportunity to play again,” she wrote. “I used to be very hyper-focused on my performance and critical of any small mistakes I made, but now I have been shown a much broader picture of how amazing it is just to play the sport I love again and be with my team.”

Tufts is back in action on Wednesday against Endicott College, and they have their final NESCAC battle of the season on Thursday against Wesleyan.