Heading into the MIT Invitational, the volleyball team had two main goals: stay undefeated, and keep its early-season momentum going before a trio of NESCAC games this weekend. While the Jumbos' flawless record was broken after a 3-1 loss to Springfield, wins over Endicott, Smith and MIT helped them finish third in the tournament and improve to 9-1 on the year.
Perhaps even more positive for the Jumbos was their continued cohesion and resilience on the court, despite a roster that is primarily composed of first-year players. Time and time again over the weekend, the Jumbos battled back from early deficits, thanks largely in part to those freshmen. Hayley Hopper was named to the All-Tournament team, and Kelly Brennan finished with 48 kills in the four matches.
"We definitely had a good weekend, and it's the most games we've played in a row to this point in the season," senior tri-captain Cara Spieler said. "We played against some really top teams, and so even though it was a building weekend, we were able to raise our game to a higher level."
The victory against MIT in the third-place match on Saturday was probably the most impressive, especially considering that the Engineers came into the tournament with an 11-1 record, were playing at home and took the first set 25-22. After Tufts pulled out the second set 27-25, it was smooth sailing: The Jumbos outclassed the Engineers in the next two frames, 25-16 and 25-17. Junior KierstenEllefsen had eight kills and no errors in the win, while classmate setter Kendall Lord had 42 assists, bringing her season total to 311, good for 10.42 per set.
"That game really showed our depth, because it was the last game of the weekend and a lot of freshmen came in and played so well," Spieler said. "We're going to have more games like that right in a row, and especially coming off the loss to Springfield, we played much better as a group against MIT, which was great to see."
The semifinal match against Springfield, played earlier the same day, was the Jumbos' first taste of defeat on the season. The first three sets were very hotly contested, with the loser scoring at least 20 points each time, but the Pride emerged with a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth frame. From there, the Jumbos seemed to tire, as the eventual champion Springfield took the third set convincingly, 25-15.
"They're one of the best teams we face, they're ranked 25th in the nation and they went on to win the whole tournament, so it's not a disappointing loss at all," senior tri-captain Lexi Nicholas said. "Even when we're at our most exhausted, people still want to get in the game, have fun and give their best, and that was the most important thing about the weekend."
Of course, the Jumbos would not have been playing Springfield and MIT if it were not for their results in Friday's games, which were the team's first two at home this season. The nightcap against Smith was a particularly convincing victory, as Tufts never trailed in the match and did not allow more than 16 points in a set en route to a straight set victory.
It was the usual suspects leading the way for Tufts. Spieler finished with 12 kills and Hopper added 13. Lord had 35 assists and seven digs, while senior tri-captain Audrey Kuan continued her season-long mastery of defense with 16 digs. Kuan is also the executive online editor of the Daily.
The most exciting game of the weekend was the very first one against Endicott College. It featured numerous lead changes, tenacious hitting and blocking on both sides and a stirring comeback from Tufts after dropping the first set.
With the Jumbos trailing 10-6 in the second and already one set down, head coach Cora Thompson called a timeout and told the team to pick up its intensity. That pep talk proved to be a turning point in the match, as Tufts rallied from 23-22 down to take the set, thanks to a timely ace from Kuan and strong hitting from Hopper.
"Coach always seems to know exactly what to say, and she just told us play our game," Spieler said. "We definitely could have been playing better up to that point, and that really got us back on the same page mentally so we could regroup and come back."
Endicott responded with a comeback of its own in the third set. With Tufts up 22-18 and poised to take two sets to one advantage, the Gulls took six of seven points to go up 24-23 before winning the set 26-24.
But Tufts had the answer, and never looked back after going ahead 6-5 in the fourth set, taking the fourth 25-14 and the fifth 25-11 while never trailing.
Lord finished with 57 assists, six aces and 13 digs, while Brennan added 19 kills and 13 digs and Spieler had 14 kills and 5 digs.
It was our first game at home, and I think there were some jitters for everybody," Nicholas said. "But Coach picked us up and put us back on our horse, and we came back strong to get that win."
The Jumbos will play another home game tomorrow against UMass Boston before heading on the road again next weekend for a trio of NESCAC games against Bowdoin, Bates and Colby, all three of which will be played at Bowdoin. The squad knows this is a critical point in the season, as a weekend sweep would leave Tufts with a 5-0 record in the conference.
"It's definitely a big NESCAC weekend, but the game against UMass is also important because they'll be one of the best teams we face the whole season," Spieler said. "Bowdoin is also always one of our biggest rivals, so we know this weekend is going to be so important for the rest of our year."
