Jumbos trounce Gulls in home opener

The Jumbos soundly defeated an overmatched Endicott squad 3-0 In their home opener on Wednesday. Although it was not the most exciting match, the game demonstrated why Tufts is one of the premier volleyball teams in New England _ it never let Endicott into the game.

Sophomore Rebecca Schaevitz went on an impressive streak of twelve straight serves in a row at one point, as the underclassmen proved to be a key part to the win. Schaevitz's role highlights the importance the underclassmen play on the team.

"They are really starting to be a force and they are always getting better. We need them to play well to be successful," junior Amy Cronin said.

The pace was very slow, as there were few rallies between the teams. The Jumbos dominated in every aspect of the game, but especially the net. Endicott's spike attempts were repeatedly shoved right back down their throats by the Tufts frontline. The Gulls failed to muster any kind of attack.

"We were dominating," said Coach Cara Thompson. "We really stayed focused and did not play down to their level, which tends to happen now and again."

Last weekend, the team participated in the Amherst Invitational. Tufts placed dead in the middle, sixth out of 12 teams. Its two wins in the tournament were sandwiched on both ends by losses to first Middlebury and then Smith College. The victories came against a weak Western Connecticut team and against Wesleyan, whom the Jumbos had lost to only a week before.

They fell to Smith College in three straight sets in their final game. The Pioneers were a young team, having lost three of their best players to graduation last year, but proved too much for Tufts. The game was on by Smith as much as it was lost by Tufts.

The Jumbo attack was almost non-existent, with Cronin having a sub-par game where she recorded just six kills. The team as a whole only managed to sneak one ace by the Pioneers. Although the squad did rally in the third set, it couldn't manage to win the set, as Smith closed them out by the slimmest of margins, 29-31.

Earlier that day, Tufts gave the Wesleyan squad a payback for the previous week. After a 3-0 defeat the week before, Tufts found itself on the other side of a 3-0 game at the Amherst Invitational. The team doubled its aces from seven to 14 in the second encounter, which helped immensely. Cronin led the attack with 13 kills on 22 attempts.

In their previous meeting, the Jumbos had not even caught their breath from the game before against Trinity, which lasted the full five sets. They had just 20 minutes to recuperate and prepare for Wesleyan, which Thompson believed was the difference.

On Friday night, the Jumbos played NESCAC opponent Middlebury and battled to a tough 3-2 loss. After losing the first set 30-17, Tufts won the next two. But it could not put the last few nails in the coffin, as Middlebury won the fourth set and then edged the Jumbos 15-12 in the final set.

Junior Lindsey Moses took on the setting duties, as she recorded a season high 51 assists. The entire team benefited from her excellent setting, as four players amassed double digit kill numbers, with Cronin leading the way with 22 kills. Sophomore Emily Macy notched 13 kills to go along with her team high 20 digs. Freshmen April Gerry and Courtney Evans added 12 and 10 digs respectively.

The Jumbos showed no signs of fatigue later that night as they easily defeated a weaker Western Connecticut team in three straight sets, 30-15, 31-29, 30-11. Macy had a strong game and led the team in three categories. She was all over the court, totaling 12 kills, three aces, and 13 digs.

This weekend, the team will be making the long trip all the way to Lewiston, Maine this weekend, to participate in the Bates Invitational.