This past weekend the Tufts' volleyball team split the Hall of Fame Tournament (2-2), keeping it only one game over .500 (16-15) for the season. The team is still striving to be the third ranked team in the conference.
At the Hall of Fame Tournament held at Amherst/South Hadley, Mass. on Friday, the Jumbos faced Brandeis again, and did not come out victorious, losing three games to one. To end the evening the Brown and Blue squared off against Bridgewater State and walked away winners, taking the match 3-1. Saturday began with an early morning victory over Mount Holyoke (3-1) followed by a blowout loss to Gordon in three straight games (0-3).
"I am pleased with the way we played as a team," coach Kris Talon said. "Everyone went out and tried their hardest, and that is all we ask of them. A lot of people played and came through for the team. By playing, a lot of people got to gain some confidence and we were able to see where we need to improve."
Against Mount Holyoke, the Jumbos fought to a victory despite playing without the "Killer S's". Both Karen "Bear" Sillers and Jessica Stewart sat out the game due to injuries.
"Last Tuesday, at the Brandeis game I sprained my ankle," Stewart said. "They taped it up, and I played, but it got worse. So for the past week I haven't practiced or played. The trainers didn't clear me to play at the tournament."
In the absence of two of the Jumbos' most productive offensive players, freshman Amy Cronin stepped up and took charge, leading the offense with an attacking average of .647 (12 kills with only one attacking error).
"We wanted to go to the middle," Talon said. "She was putting the ball away. They only used a single block against her. We needed her to minimize her attacking errors and she did. We are also starting to let her serve and pass. She is helping us to score points with her serving."
Lindsey Moses, who had ten digs, controlled the defense. "Megan [Pitcavage] wasn't feeling well," Talon said. "Lindsey played in her spot. Lindsey is one of the better, scrappier defensive players. She digs like crazy."
After a win, the Brown and Blue had a demoralizing loss against Gordon College, mustering up only 20 points in the three games (7-15, 4-15, 9-15). Pitcavage topped her season high attacking average, which she set last weekend, in this game, reaching an astonishing .438. Not only did Pitcavage lead the team in attacking average, she led the offense with eight kills and the defense with 11 digs.
"The game was disappointing," Talon said. "They tore us apart. We did not pass well at all, and as a result, can't run the offense. There were a lot of blocking errors. Basically, we were not generating enough offense to win. It was not a pretty game."
"We just were not passing the ball," Cronin said. "So we couldn't really get any momentum going."
The tournament began with a match against Brandeis, as Cronin and her mates took a hard hit to the loss column by dropping the match in four games (10-15, 14-16, 15-9, 8-15).
"They had a nice quick offense," Talon said. "They played well offensively mainly because of three very good hitters. We played okay, but not good enough to win. We need to pass, play defense, and serve. During the game, 'Bear' turned her ankle."
Instead of Sillers, Stewart, or Cronin at the top of the stat box, Pitcavage ran the offense with 11 kills, while at the same time protecting the back row with 20 digs.
"I definitely wanted to beat Brandeis," Cronin said. "Losing to a team once is bad enough, but I can't stand to lose to them twice in a row. Especially when they are beatable and Brandeis was."
To finish the first day, the squad faced Bridgewater State; the Bears felt the wrath of the Jumbos, falling to them in four games (15-10, 4-15, 15-6, 15-9). "Pep [Paulette Pacheco] really hit well against Bridgewater," Cronin said. "With Jess injured, she stepped up her game. For a tiny player she gets up and puts the ball down. Her hitting was key to winning this game." Pacheco certainly did hit well, smacking her way to a .474 attacking average (11 kills and only two attacking errors).
"We were the superior team," Talon said. "I don't know what happened in the second game... we put them away early. When we got the ball, we did what we wanted with it... we taped 'Bear' up and she played. She didn't play in the first game but played in games two, three, and four because we needed her." Despite having the turned ankle, "Bear" aided the defense with 11 digs.
"We are looking forward to getting 'Bear' and Jess back, healthy," Talon said.
The Jumbos face a single match against MIT on Oct. 26th at 7 p.m.
