This might just be the year.
After earning a reputation as one of the strongest volleyball programs on the East Coast over the past several seasons and driving all the way to the national quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the volleyball team may have the chance to take care of some unfinished business.
Last year the Jumbos finished second in both the NESCAC and New England regional tournaments after accumulating a 9-1 record in NESCAC play and a 29-7 overall record. On both occasions the Jumbos were denied victories by the Colby Mules.
But with Colby losing four of its key players to graduation, coach Cora Thompson sees an opening and hopes that her team will overcome those demons and bring victories from both tournaments back to Medford.
"We hope to remain a top team in New England, and we hope to win a NESCAC championship," Thompson said. "That is our primary goal, and I do believe it is realistic if we stay healthy and strive to improve daily."
The Jumbos take their first steps in that direction this weekend as they open up their season this weekend against non-conference competition at the Buttermaker Tournament at Muhlenberg College. The team's first match comes against Penn State-Altoona at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening, followed by an 8:00 p.m. face-off with York College.
While the games will not count towards the team's league record, the tournament provides a chance to both work out offseason kinks and to make a statement on the regional stage. The tournament includes teams from throughout the Mid-Atlantic, as well as New England rival MIT.
"We know that MIT will be [at the tournament] so hopefully we both win our brackets and end up seeing each other at some point," Thompson said. "We are excited to travel out of [New England] to see some other teams. As far as we are concerned, our season starts Friday at 6:00 p.m. We want to play well down there, not just win. Our goal is to play well and get a lot of players time on the court."
During the tournament, it is crucial that the team finds a playing rhythm that will carry it into the rest of the season. The tournament will also give Tufts' freshmen their first glimpse of collegiate-level volleyball. The team's three freshmen this year,-setter Dana Feiger, middle blocker Julie Wilking and hitter Broghan Helgenson,-will all be experimenting in different positions and lineups.
Complementing these new faces is a wealth of strong returning players. Senior captains Kelli Harrison and Dana Fleisher will anchor Tufts' front row play. Despite battling injury problems in 2005, Harrison still had a team-leading 257 kills (4.43 per game) in 2005 and is now healthy and ready to play.
Also figuring to factor heavily into the mix are junior Katie Wysham, who will join the captains on the front row, sophomore setter Kaitlin O'Reilly, back row defensive specialists junior Stephanie Viola, and sophomores Maya Ripecky and Natalie Goldstein. O'Reilly is the returning New England Freshman of the Year after leading the league in assists last year with 11.87 assists per game and 1401 total assists, almost 300 more than the runner-up. She also earned honorable mention All-American honors, giving Tufts an All-American for the third year in a row. Goldstein was an honorable mention member of the All-NESCAC team.
However, despite the strong returnees, several key players are now missing, shifting the dynamic of the squad. Departed co-captains April Gerry and Courtney Evans were the team's only seniors last year, but both were First-Team All-NESCAC selections.
"It's a very different team," Harrison said. "We only lost a few players, but they were big contributors to the team and added personality, so there's definitely a different dynamic. But so far it's been a really good feel and we've gotten to gel together really well."
If this Tufts team can ward off injuries, bring out the abilities of the current players, and manage to work the freshman successfully into the mix, the Jumbos stand a good chance of taking home the postseason hardware that has eluded them in the past.
"We will stay humble and realize that not one point this season is guaranteed," Thompson said. "If we take care of the present moment, good things will happen. We realize that due to recent success, we have a bull's-eye on our back whether we deserve to or not at this point. Teams are going to be excited to play us and bring their best volleyball to our court. We need to be ready for that challenge every time out."
