On Saturday afternoon, the volleyball team (28–2) lost to the Bowdoin Polar Bears (21–7) in the NCAA Regional second round in Cousens Gym. The heartbreaking match went into five sets (14–25, 25–16, 25–27, 25–15, 15–13), with the Jumbos falling 3–2. This match was a rematch of the NESCAC Championship that the Jumbos won in five sets last weekend. As NESCAC champions and fresh off a win against Eastern Nazarene a day earlier, the Jumbos came onto the court confident and ready to play.
The Jumbos played an exhilarating first set. Senior setter/opposite hitter Rachel Furash, who was named to the 2019 Academic All-District Volleyball Team on Thursday, once again displayed her prowess as a server from the very beginning of the match. Out of the first six serves of the game, four were aces, with Furash leading Tufts out to an early 6–0 lead. However, the Polar Bears were able to scavenge some points and tighten the Jumbos’ lead through a couple of smart cross shots. The Jumbos, nevertheless, prevented the Polar Bears from gaining any momentum and finished on top in the first set, 25–14.Bowdoin finally broke through to begin the second set, tacking on seven consecutive points. However, the Jumbos rallied back. After senior middle/opposite hitter Christina Nwankpa added a kill and Furash aced another serve, the Jumbos were within a point of the Polar Bears, 13–12. This point in the set would be the last time the Jumbos were within a point of the Polar Bears in the second. Bowdoin capitalized on a couple of Jumbo errors to take an 18–12 lead and the Polar Bears went on to win the second set 25–16.
The Polar Bears marched ahead early in the third set to go up 11–4. On a series of serves put up by sophomore outside/opposite hitter Cate Desler as server, the tide changed. The Jumbos scored six consecutive points to reach one under, 11–10. Both teams duked it out point-for-point for the rest of the match. Ultimately, a kill from Desler resulted in a 27–25 Jumbo set victory.
The two teams battled neck-and-neck to open up the fourth set. Once the score reached 5–5, Tufts began to lose a little traction. The Polar Bears slowly extended their lead for the entirety of the set. Ultimately, Bowdoin picked up a 25–15 win in the fourth set to tie the match 2–2.
The Jumbos jumped ahead of the Polar Bears at the beginning of the fifth set, garnering the first five points of the set. The polar bear kept tugging on poor Jumbo's tail as Allyson Hawkins turned in an ace and Caroline Flaharty tied the game eight-a-piece for Bowdoin. Another ace from Hawkins put the Polar Bears ahead 9–8. Behind 13–11, the Jumbos forced two Polar Bear errors that tied the game at 13 all. The Polar Bears got kills from Hawkins and Ashley Williams to clinch the 15–13 win in the fifth set. Both players from both teams played their hearts out and put together a fantastic and nail-biting game of volleyball.
In a post-game press conference, junior middle/opposite hitter and co-captain Jennifer Ryan, who accumulated an impressive 11 kills and three blocks during the game, praised her team's tenacity and chemistry throughout the season.
"It takes all 17 to do what we do," Bell said. "It takes our seniors, who are incredible leaders and incredible players. We all needed to be in it — that is what we told our [first-years]. You're either all in or nothing. Most of all, we wanted to have fun and live in the moment and play TUVB and be there for one another and support one another."
The soul-crushing loss marked the end of the careers of the graduating seniors, who will be graduating in May 2020. Nwankpa describes her four-year experience in the Tufts volleyball program.
"I'm very proud of this program; there [are] no words to describe," Nwankpa said. "It's been a crazy ride. Every year we have had a great determination and great grit. We have grown so much as individuals and as a team."
Coach Cora Thompson also had a couple of profound remarks about the graduating seniors.
"The leadership that the seniors showed on day one was so important," Thompson said. "They had a laser-like focus and knew what it took to win. They also took care of each other and the rest of the team. They will never be replaced."
Before losing to Bowdoin, Tufts won a decisive 3–0 victory over Eastern Nazarene in the first round of the NCAA championships in Cousens Gym. The win improved the Jumbos' overall record to 28–1. For Eastern Nazarene, their season came to an end with a 17–7 record.
The two teams went neck-and-neck to open up the first set. After the score reached 5–4, the Jumbos scored four points with sophomore setter/opposite hitter Ariel Zedric at service. The Jumbos kept picking at the score and eventually won the first set 25–14.
The Jumbos gained a comfortable 5–2 lead early in the second set. Zedric assumed service position again, and the Jumbos scored five points off her serve to take a 10–2 lead. The Jumbos were able to grow that lead to 10 when they got behind the serve of first-year outside/opposite hitter Jennelle Yarwood and tallied five more to take a 19–9 lead. Tufts took a two-set lead in the match with a 25–17 win in set two.
The Jumbos scored the first 11 points of the third set. That lead would be too much for the Lions to overcome and the Jumbos closed out the match win with a 25–9 win in the third set.
In a post-game press conference, Thompson, Desler and senior outside/opposite hitter and co-captain Maddie Stewart complimented the team's ability to match Eastern Nazarene's aggressive style of play.
"Their outsides are very aggressive and made us work defensively," Thompson said. "We made sure we controlled the tempo on offensive and made sure we kept our offensive in system. I'm really proud of our team for staying aggressive the whole game."
Desler echoed her coach's statement.
"Our defense did a great job keeping our feet moving and staying along the back line to get the deep shots Nazarene shot at us," Desler said. "The centers did a great job [spreading] the offense around. Everyone got a chance to hit and we kept the blockers on the other team guessing."
Stewart, who was awarded the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Northeast Region Player of the Year on Thursday — and one of six Jumbos to receive an AVCA regional award — shared her team's ability to work as a unit.
"In practice, we come in every day with a purpose to get better and keep improving our side of the game," Stewart said. "We have this mentality to constantly improve as a unit. It shows on the court because we go on the court looking to improve our ball control, routes, blocking, our defense. When that's our mindset, it works out for ourselves really well."
