After suffering its first loss of the season to UMass Boston last Tuesday, Tufts bounced back in a win over the Bowdoin Polar Bears at Cousens Gym on Saturday to improve to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The victory against Bowdoin was Tufts' first in regular season play since 2011 and defended the Jumbos' undefeated record at home this season.
The Jumbos were lackluster early against the Polar Bears, dropping the first set 25-19 after trailing by as many as eight. Bowdoin took advantage of Tufts' inability to slow down its middle hitters, as well as a number of Tufts' hitting errors, to jump out to the early lead.
"We did struggle out of the gates with Bowdoin," coach Cora Thompson told the Daily in an email. "But it was more of a struggle with ourselves rather than what Bowdoin was doing cross net. Going into the 2nd set … we really just focused on cleaning up our side and playing better volleyball ... I am proud of the grit this team showed."
The Jumbos responded quickly to build and maintain a lead of their own in the second set. Strong serving prevented Bowdoin from gaining an offensive rhythm, and Tufts took the second set 25-20 to tie the match. The Jumbos carried that momentum into the last two sets, winning both by 25-23 margins to finish the game.
The win was a critical response to Tufts' first setback of the season, as they regained the momentum that they started the season with and remained tied for first place in the NESCAC. First-year libero Kelly Klimo led the team with 25 digs, anchoring a scrappy, reliable Tufts defense that kept numerous nearly-lost rallies alive. Sophomore setter Angela Yu and junior co-captain defensive specialist Alex Garrett tied for second-most on the team with 13 digs each.
The comeback win demonstrated the front row's ability to put up a large and disruptive block. Bowdoin’s hitters struggled to find their angles and put hard-hit balls into play because of the space the Tufts block took up. First-year opposite hitter Christina Nwankpa and senior co-captain middle hitter Elizabeth Ahrens both racked up three blocks over the match. Sophomore outside hitter/opposite Mackenzie Bright led the team in kills with 12, followed by first-year outside hitter Brigid Bell with 11.
Volleyball was off to its best start since 2011 after winning its first eight matches before losing 3-1 while away against UMass Boston on Sept. 20. The host Beacons outplayed the Jumbos on the defensive end, offensive end and across the board in statistics — including in kills, assists, digs and aces. Tufts lost a tightly-contested first set 28-26 but then came back to win the second set 25-20. The Jumbos struggled in the third and fourth sets, though, and ultimately fell after a 25-13 fourth-set loss. Ahrens led the team with 11 kills in the loss.
“I don’t think that we played up to our potential against UMass Boston on Tuesday,” Ahrens said. “They were definitely a really good team and competed really well, and I think that we learned a lot from that loss, and we definitely transferred over the mental toughness into our game versus Bowdoin.”
The Jumbos have played with poise for a team nearly half-composed of first-year players. The first-years are making significant contributions, though, getting playing time at the setter, libero, middle hitter and right side positions.
“[The first-years] want the same things that we do,” Ahrens said. “That’s kind of rare to have in a [first-year], to be so on board so quickly, but all of them have stepped up to the plate incredibly well.”
With a new look to the team and after getting off to a hot start, the Jumbos have high goals for this year. They were able to find success last year with a 7-3 record in conference, but they fell in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament. With a lot of depth at key positions like setter and libero and all the new potential from their first-year players, they believe that they can make an even deeper postseason run this year, putting them in a great position to build a winning culture for the team going forward.
“We are really focused on winning the NESCAC,” Ahrens said. “Then beyond that, we believe that we have the talent and the mental attitude to take it to NCAAs and win a national championship, but we’re taking it one step at a time.”
Tufts' next game is a key conference matchup at Wesleyan on Friday, which may prove to be one of their most competitive yet. Wesleyan is currently 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the NESCAC, tied with Tufts for first in the conference. The Jumbos and their young lineup will be looking to prove themselves as the undisputed top team in the conference.
Volleyball rebounds against Bowdoin after first loss
