Women’s volleyball continues to add wins to their best start since 2009. The Jumbos put together three impressive victories over the past week to improve their record to 12-1 and 5-0 in NESCAC play.
Tufts defeated Rivier in Cousens Gym on Tuesday with first-year outside hitter Brigid Bell leading the team in kills with 13. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Bright was close behind with nine. First-year Rachel Furash and sophomore Angela Yu, both setters, tallied 18 and 17 assists, respectively, in the win.
Contributions across the roster were key for Tufts against a competitive Rivier team that boasted a 16-1 record headed into the match. Tufts and Rivier had not faced off against each other since the '90s, and neither team knew exactly what to expect. Tufts came out strong, however, winning in straight sets by taking advantage of some unforced errors and serving extremely well.
Tufts defeated NESCAC opponent Trinity in straight sets on Saturday, tightening its hold on first place in the conference. Trinity is 0-5 in the NESCAC and 5-8 overall. The first two sets were both 25-15, as Trinity was unable to settle in on its home floor until the third set, which went 25-23. Senior co-captain Elizabeth Ahrens and Bell tied for the team lead in kills with seven apiece and Furash kept the Jumbos on track with 14 assists.
Tufts won in five sets at Wesleyan on Sept. 30, and the grueling conference matchup highlighted why Tufts has been so tough to beat this year. Coming into the match, Wesleyan was 8-1 and undefeated in NESCAC play. The Jumbos played with composure throughout the entire match, despite trading sets, and fought hard to keep every set close. In the end, Tufts had the greater energy and execution in the fifth set and jumped out to a commanding 7-2 lead early. The Jumbos never relinquished their lead, as they cruised to a 15-8 set win to seal the match.
Despite missing a key contributor in first-year middle hitter/opposite Christina Nwankpa, who explained that she has missed the last three games due to illness, the team continues to mesh well and gain momentum. The team's depth has been an asset thus far this year, as they have been able to throw a multitude of different lineups at their opponents. Thus far, only Bell has played in every match, though six Jumbos have played in 12 out of 13. The shuffling of players through the lineup does not seem to have disrupted the team’s play.
“Chemistry has been really good,” Nwankpa said. “We have been changing so much ... We gained a lot of trust in the past couple weeks with our players and our setters, so that’s not a problem.”
The team's next-game mentality has served it well throughout the run. Tufts seems to always be completely focused on the moment at hand, as demonstrated by the six victories they have racked up in three straight sets, showing how seriously they take every matchup. Not falling victim to overconfidence is key over the next 11 games of the regular season, as Tufts hopes to continue dominating the conference into the playoffs.
“We always like to look at things one game at a time,” Bright said. “No matter how we played in the last game, we're always looking to the challenges ahead.”
One of the real stories of the year has been the emergence of Bell and Bright as an extremely effective pair of front row attackers. Bell leads the team in kills as a first-year with 109, 16 more than the next closest player. Bright is third on the team in kills with 70.
Going forward, the Jumbos believe they can continue to improve their play, focusing on how they can better each individual aspect of the team’s game.
“We have more internal goals,” Nwankpa said. “We try to continue to beat what we’ve done before. So if anything it’s just making ourselves better, not really focusing on other teams."
Tufts plays four key conference matchups in the next two weeks. Those matchups include a game against Middlebury (3-1) which is currently third place in the NESCAC and riding a seven-game winning streak. The Jumbos hope to extend their new four-game winning streak on the road this weekend, playing matches in different states on consecutive days. Tufts squares off with Hamilton tonight at 8 p.m. before traveling to Middlebury on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matchup against the Panthers.
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