Volleyball | Jumbos look to atone for 2008's abrupt ending

    While success in most walks of life is measured by results, for NESCAC Coach of the Year Cora Thompson and her team, it's all about the process.
    "We're coming off of a great season, but we try not to focus on the results," Thompson said. "With this team we want to take it one point at a time and focus on the process of what we're doing, and that will ultimately decide what kind of team we are."
    Last year's Jumbos certainly demonstrated good progress, rising to the top spot in the New England rankings and running the table in conference play. The Jumbos hosted the NESCAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament Regionals, but they were bounced in the second round from both tournaments in five-set matches against teams that they had swept in previous matches that season.
    Tufts graduated four seniors last year, and with just two left — co-captains Dena Feiger and Brogie Helgeson — the team will be more youth-based this go around. The Jumbos began their preseason two weeks ago with the task of acclimating five incoming freshmen to Thompson's system.
    "Obviously our team is younger this year," Feiger said. "We graduated a bunch of seniors last year, but I still think that we have the potential to be better than we were last year."
    "We didn't start practicing too long ago, so we've just been working on getting comfortable, playing with each other, and getting the basics down," Feiger continued. "We're hoping to put it all together in our first game this weekend."
    While Tufts will rely heavily on the newcomers, the team does have a plethora of returning talent from last season. In addition to the captains Feiger and Helgeson, Thompson will count on five juniors to make an impact.
    "Co-captains Brogie [Helgeson] and Dena [Feiger] came back in phenomenal shape," she said. "Both worked very, very hard this summer. And we have a big junior class. Every one of them busted their butts this summer and made great strides."
    Thompson also made a point to mention sophomore libero Audrey Kuan, who will need to fill the shoes of graduate Natalie Goldstein. Goldstein was a four-year starter who perennially ranked as one of the NESCAC's top defensive players.
    "I would say that Audrey Kuan is going to play a bigger role this year," Thompson said. "Last year she was a defensive player who subbed in here and there. Now that she's a sophomore, I'm excited to see her step in and be our primary passer. She's absolutely capable."
    Thompson recruited five freshmen to replace the departed seniors, and though she indicated that the lineup would be mostly comprised of returning players, she said that she would not be afraid to "mix it up."
    "We needed an outside hitter, a middle hitter, a defensive player, a libero — Kuan is going to be sliding into libero — but from our freshmen we've got one of every position." Thompson said. "And the exciting thing is that they're versatile. They can do a lot of different things, and I'm confident in their abilities to step in."
    On the offensive side of the ball, the Jumbos will rely on a couple of juniors for their hitting ability: Dawson Joyce-Mendive and Caitlin Updike, who returns from a shortened season last year due to injury.
    Perhaps the biggest change from last year has been to the team's home court. The Cousens Gymnasium renovations add a new dynamic to this season.
    "We're loving it," Thompson said. "We feel lucky to have a brand new floor and so much more space. The lighting is better, the sound system is way better. We're fortunate to have such a supportive administration … I'm excited to play in it, but won't get to see what it looks like, until the 18th."
    The Jumbos get their first taste of the action this weekend at the Brandeis Invitational. Thompson said that she hopes to see the team execute what they've been working on in practice, mainly aggressive serving and sound serve-receiving.
    "I want to see aggressive and smart serving, and I want to see some great serve receive and great defense," Thompson said. "I think that we've always been a very athletic team, and strategically we can always be better, focus on blocking technique and what we've been doing in practice transfer to games."
    Last year, the Jumbos started the season 15-0 on their way to the top ranking in New England but lost three of their final eight matches in disappointing five-set fashion.
    "I think if you look at the last five or six years of our volleyball program, there have been records broken, we've had great wins, we've been able to host tournaments and be the Region's top seed," Thompson said. "But once again, we don't go into it trying to compare ourselves to the previous year."
    "Each year, you go through the process of trying to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are and how to use those to your advantage," she continued. "While the game plan and process might change and we might have a much different look, we still have that goal that we want to win NESCACs and be in the NCAAs again."