After a dismal showing last week, the women's volleyball team earned a 3-0 win in its Tuesday home opener against the Eastern Nazarene Crusaders. The victory pulls the team's record to 9-5, placing the squad one slot above their year-ago record. Coach Kris Talon was not pleased with her squad's 3-0 victory, despite the positive outcome.
"It was another disappointing display by us," Talon said. "Overall we are not playing to our potential or even close. The good news is that we are going to get it back this week."
Freshman Rebecca Shaevitz agreed. "Our team is struggling," she said. "We have good potential, but we just have to find our rhythm on and off the court."
Though the team was unhappy with its performance, the Jumbos were in control the moment they stepped onto the court, defeating the Crusaders 30-18, 30-27, and 30-29. Co-captain Megan Pitcavage led the team to victory, excelling both offensively and defensively, while making minimal errors (14 kills, one attacking error, two service aces, one service error, six digs).
"[Megan] Pitcavage had a great match," Talon said. "She saved our offense on occasion."
Entering the match, the Crusaders had posted a lowly 0-6 record. In fact, they had only won a single game the entire season. The scores of the final two games, as Tufts narrowly edged Nazarene by only three and one points respectively, were far too close for a Tufts team currently ranked fourth in New England.
Contributing to the close scores was Talon's decision to give almost everyone on the team a chance to participate. Freshman Ali Sauer, who has only seen playing time in seven games this season, greatly improved her serving, as well as her overall play.
"[Ali] Sauer played great," Talon said. "Her serving has been a struggle, and she served us through to game point in game three." Sauer also had nine kills against only four attacking errors.
"When Ali came in she did a good job of executing the plays," sophomore Danielle Cafasso said. "We were struggling in the game and when she came in, she helped to pick the team up with her play."
While the win was not as smooth as expected, the team has little time to reflect as they will compete in the Bates Invitational tonight, where they will spar against New England's top competition.
