The volleyball team returned home from Amherst this weekend with a mixed bag of results.
The Jumbos' first look at NESCAC competition yielded a 1-1 record as the team lost to Wesleyan 3-1 before recovering to beat Trinity by the same score. While last week's win over non-conference Endicott was encouraging, NESCAC matches carry significantly more weight and provide a reward at the end of the road-the all-important conference tournament.
"I think every time you play a NESCAC team you always want to play well, but our focus as a team right now is getting better every time out," coach Cora Thompson said. "You want to play well, but what's really important in NESCAC is winning enough to make the tourney."
The Jumbos struggled early in the Wesleyan game with unforced errors, a problem that has plagued them throughout the young season. Injuries have taken a toll on the Jumbos, forcing many players into unfamiliar positions and limiting lineup consistency.
"I think that we played really well for having a bunch of new players," Allende said. "I think that with time, our connection on the court is going to be stronger, and so it's hard to judge how we've been doing so far."
The team has faced the double curse of having to compensate for graduation and shifting around both new and returning players to offset injury. Senior co-captain Dana Fleisher has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since the beginning of the season, and the timeframe for her return is still uncertain. Sophomore Caitlin Dealy is also nursing a shoulder injury, leaving a significant gap for Tufts' outside hitters.
"Both girls are incredible passers, and one of the things this team has been struggling with so far this year has been passing," Thompson said.
The Jumbos weekend began on a sour note with a 3-1 loss to Wesleyan (30-28, 26-30, 30-27, 30-26). Tufts had 17 service errors and seven passing errors, and with the close score of each game, these miscues proved to be the difference-maker. Wesleyan has arrived on the volleyball scene, barely recognizable from its role as perennial conference bottom-dweller. After beating Tufts, the Cardinals went on to defeat Amherst and now stand with Williams as the only remaining undefeated teams in the NESCAC.
Tufts was led offensively by senior co-captain Kelli Harrison and junior Cecelia Allende, who had 16 kills apiece, and junior Katie Wysham, who added 15. Sophomore Kaitlyn O'Reilly once again set the tone with her setting, adding 44 assists to the Tufts offense. Sophomore Kate Denniston had three aces to the pace the Jumbos from the service line, while classmate Stacy Filloco added two aces to her seven on the season.
The team played much better against Trinity, limiting errors and taking control of the match from the beginning. The Jumbos held themselves to 10 service errors and played much cleaner volleyball, leading to their 3-1 (30-19, 31-29, 32-34, 30-13) win. One of the biggest factors in the win was the play of sophomore Natalie Goldstein, who led the defensive effort with 22 digs. Harrison led the way offensively once again with 19 kills, while Filloco added 17.
"We were minimizing mistakes in the Trinity games, serving errors went down to 10, and we started getting more of a flow with a lot more energy on the court," Thompson said. "We at least got some consistency on the court. For the first time we were truly starting to gel as a team and not playing as individuals."
Thompson reached a personal milestone this past week as well, when she earned her 100th win in the Jumbos' victory over Endicott last Tuesday. After this weekend, Thompson's career record stands at 101-40, good for a .716 winning
percentage.
"We were glad we could give [the win] to her," Allende said. "It's such a huge accomplishment, and we were really proud of her."
Thompson attended Tufts as an undergraduate and played for the volleyball and softball teams. After graduating in 1999, she returned to earn her master's, graduating in 2001, before taking the helm of the volleyball team.
Next on tap for the Jumbos is a match-up at home against Gordon on Tuesday. Then the squad will head to Cambridge this weekend for the MIT Tournament, where they may get a chance there to avenge their loss against the Engineers last weekend and gauge their early-season progress.
"Right now improving has to be our focus," Thompson said. "Tufts volleyball has to get better, more consistent, and improve every time, and I was definitely proud of them for that."
