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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Volleyball 8-0 after defeating two NESCAC opponents

volleyball

Women's volleyball is undefeated thus far this season. This past weekend, the Jumbos defeated divisional foes Williams and Amherst and moved to 8-0 on the season. On Friday, Tufts hosted Williams and beat the Ephs three sets to one. The next day, Tufts swiftly handled Amherst in straight sets. The Jumbos have not allowed any opponent to win more than a single set in a match. 

As a result of that impressive feat, the Jumbos are tied for the lead in the NESCAC with Conn. College (5-1) and Wesleyan (4-1). The teams are technically tied in the NESCAC because each boasts a 2-0 divisional record.

Despite the hot start, co-captain junior Alex Garrett would like to see the Jumbos maintain their focus on each individual game going forward.

"We have been strategizing accordingly to the competition that we will see across the net, not to mention successfully developing our team dynamic on the court," Garrett told the Daily in an email.  "The present game is always at the center of our focus. Being in the present is something our whole team is focusing on this year. "

The Jumbos blitzed the Ephs in the first set of their Friday game, recording 16 kills and allowing only 11 points. Tufts scored eight straight points to take a 15-7 lead in the set and did not look back. The next couple of sets were closer, as the Jumbos took the second set 25-23. Williams managed to win the third 25-22, but Tufts recovered its offensive prowess in the fourth set to win 25-14.

Junior outside hitter Katie Kim led Tufts in kills with 14, her career high, and senior outside hitter Mary Maccabee was a close second with 13. Kim also paced the Jumbos with a .423 kill percentage. Sophomore setter Angela Yu's 27 assists led Tufts and were only three fewer than the entire Williams team.

Tufts beat Amherst a day later , closing out its final set 29-27 after taking the first two sets 25-21 and 25-17. The match remained close in the first set at 20-19 before Kim and senior co-captain Elizabeth Ahrens, the NESCAC's reigning Player of the Week, earned consecutive kills. Ahrens' service ace on the next point put the Jumbos four clear at 23-19. The Jumbos eventually saw the first set out with a kill from first-year Brigid Bell.

In the third set, the Jumbos trailed by as many as five points on several occasions but eventually roared back to 22-22 after a flurry of four kills from Kim. First-year setter Rachel Furash, who picked up 23 assists in this match, sealed the victory for the Jumbos with her only kill of the day. 

Despite the win streak, head coach Cora Thompson likes to keep her players focused on each individual matchup rather than how many times the team can win in a row.

"We haven’t really talked about a streak only because we are solely focused on winning [in] the present moment whether it be against a conference opponent or a regional rival," Thompson told the Daily in an email. "We have a job to do and the team is concentrating on our game plans, which switch from opponent to opponent, and executing them."

That plan has evidently worked well for the Jumbos, as they continued their winning ways this weekend. The team saw especially remarkable performances from a few players in particular.

The two Tufts setters Yu and Furash put up some big numbers as well. The pair combined for 45 assists against Williams and 38 against Amherst. As usual, the setters played a big role in making sure their teammates had opportunities to put up points.

Though the Jumbos won both matches this weekend, they met with some stiff resistance from opposing players. For Williams, senior outside hitter Tori Jasuta was all over the net against Tufts. The veteran had 41 total attacks, which led to 10 kills. She also had 13 digs and a solo block on the day, rounding out an impressive stat line. In the Amherst game, the opposition was led in points by first-year outside hitter Emily Kolsky. Kolsky put up 10.5 points from 10 kills on 23 total attacks. Amherst also saw some great setting from first-year Charlotte Duran (15 assists) and senior quad-captain Kate Bres (13 assists).

Tufts has managed to gel as a team early in the season despite nearly half of its roster -- seven of 16 -- being first-years.

"It is no secret that we have a large freshmen class and as a result we have had to work harder than usual on our team chemistry to make sure that we get the rookies up to speed by making them feel comfortable and confident in our systems," Thompson said. "So far, we are incredibly impressed with their abilities to jump right in and contribute in matches."

Thompson sounded equally impressed with her returning Jumbos.

"We brought back an incredibly talented group of returners who know exactly what kind of season they want to have and they are [doing] everything within their power to achieve it," Thompson said. "Right now, our primary goal is to continue to gel as a unit and better our play every day. We are staying focused on the present moment and the task at hand. It’s a process but one that they are all 100 percent committed to. I can’t ask for more than that as a coach."

Tufts will look to continue its winning streak, starting tonight at UMass Boston and Saturday, Sept. 24 against No. 23 Bowdoin at home.