Disappointing weekend for volleyball team

This weekend marked the last home match for the Jumbo volleyball team, a NESCAC conference game against Amherst. The stage was set for a dramatic competition, as both teams were in the midst of seven game winning streaks.

Both teams were vying for top positions in the NESCAC standings. The Jumbos entered the match in a four-way tie for second place with Amherst, Colby, and Bates. If that was not enough, the Jumbos also were looking to avenge last year's post-season loss to the Lady Jeffs, which prematurely ended their 2002 championship hunt.

The Jumbos would not find vindication on Saturday, however, nor would they improve their winning streak. Tufts lost the match 3-1, which, in a weekend where many of the standings were sorted out, dropped the team to fifth place with a 5-2 division record. Amherst improved to 6-1 in NESCAC play, good enough for third place in the conference.

Amherst rolled into Cousens Gymnasium and set the tone quickly, dispatching the Jumbos in the first game, 30-26. The Jumbo defense was not as dominant in this game as it has been this season. When passing is off, it is extremely difficult to mount an effective offensive attack. A lack of aggressive serving also crippled the Jumbos, giving Amherst easy opportunities to score points.

"As a whole, our communication was lacking," sophomore middle hitter April Gerry said. "We were all disappointed. Individually we all did pretty well but we needed to come together."

During the second game however, it appeared that Tufts managed to muster up its usual intensity. The passing was back on for the team and it appeared as though it was going to be match when the Jumbos took the second game 30-24 and the score became even at one game apiece.

Tufts, however, was unable to maintain the level of play it had used to overtake the Jeffs in the second game. The team quickly fell to its first loss in seven matches, losing games three and four 30-23 and 30-22.

Coach Cora Thompson attributed the loss to a case of Tufts beating itself.

"We did not come into the gym with our game," Thompson said in her Coaches Corner report, "It was a very disappointing game for the Jumbos because we all know that Tufts volleyball is much better than what happened against Amherst."

Despite the loss, there were a few positives to be gleaned from the match.

Gerry had one of her stronger performances of the season statistically, including 14 kills with only two errors. Gerry was one of four hitters on the squad to reach double digits.

Freshman outside hitter Kelli Harrison also notched 14 kills, while junior right side hitter Alison Sauer had 12 kills. Junior Emily Macy contributed 11 kills, as well as earning 20 of the team's 57 digs.

Despite those statistics, the Jumbos also recorded more service errors versus aces, (six to four), and eight serve receive errors. Just as an ace is an easy point scored, an error is an easy point for the opponent and can be an important factor in determining the momentum of the game.

"We lost a lot of points due to mental errors," Gerry said. "If we had just cut out those errors, it would have made a big difference in the outcome."

Despite Saturday's loss the Jumbos ended up 1-1 for the week with an easy 3-0 victory over Wheaton College on Thursday night, taking the first two games 30-18 and 30-24. Wheaton appeared to gain some fire in the third game and pushed the competition into extra points. However, the Jumbos answered the challenge and eventually won the match with a 36-34 victory.

Tufts now sits with a 16-6 overall record and is looking to redeem itself on Tuesday night with a match against Brandeis. Brandeis is reputed to be even more difficult than Amherst with a 17-6 record on the season thus far. As for Amherst, Tufts hopes to have another shot to get at them in the NESCAC playoffs.

"Even though we weren't on top, we still kept the match close," Gerry said. "If we play the way we know we can then we can definitely beat them."