Any team expecting to waltz out of Cousens with an easy victory should think again.
Despite a slow start against Brandeis on Tuesday evening, the Jumbos rallied for a 3-1 victory, improving their record to 15-5 and notching up their home record to a pristine 9-0.
"We came out slow today, which was obvious in our first-game loss to Brandeis, but we came back strong in the second game," junior Katie Wysham said. "Our team is having problems staying on a high level of play; our pace tends to drop and that is something we are pushing ourselves on every day."
"We are struggling with our consistency right now," coach Cora Thompson added. "We need to control our tempo from first point to last point. Last night we really turned it on, but we need to find our tempo early and stick with it throughout the match."
The team quickly recovered from its 30-28 loss in game one and had no problem finding its groove as it swept the next three games 30-16, 30-27, 30-28. Despite several lead changes and some close calls late in the fourth game, the Jumbos settled down, played smart, and let Brandeis dig its own hole with 21 offensive errors and 12 serving errors on the match.
Spurred on by a supportive home crowd, the third and fourth games yielded impressive rallies, clutch digs, and assertive play.
"There is definitely something about playing on our own court," sophomore Maya Ripecky said. "Our fans this year have been awesome; they've been so supportive, and it has been a great atmosphere to play in. It is definitely something that keeps you up and makes you want to take it to the other team."
Ripecky acted as a wall in the back court with 25 digs, and senior co-captain Kelli Harrison added 22 digs to her stellar offensive showing of 16 kills.
"It's good to stay undefeated on our home court, but every game is a lesson," Harrison said. "We have to work on our consistency and bringing the same amount of energy and momentum into the game and keeping it throughout the match."
This theme will be integral to the Jumbos' preparation for hosting two upcoming NESCAC matches against Bates on Friday and Colby on Saturday. Tufts was blanked three times by the Mules last season, dropping 3-0 decisions in the regular season, the NESCAC Championship, and the National Quarterfinals. With that in mind, the team will certainly be looking for redemption, something it hopes will propel it to a pair of crucial victories this weekend.
"NESCAC is where you really want to push it," Harrison said. "We need to bring the same fire and the same attitude from start to finish with each and every game. Beating the NESCAC teams is the only way we are going to be where we want to be during postseason."
With conference losses this season already to Amherst and Wesleyan, each NESCAC game carries additional weight for postseason seedings.
"We know how important these NESCAC games are-we don't want to have any more losses in NESCAC because every game counts," Thompson said. "We look forward to facing our NESCAC opponents and beating them, but every game is a chance to improve."
Bates, the Jumbos' first match up this weekend, is coming off a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Amherst, leaving its conference record at 1-3 and dropping its overall record below .500 to 10-11. Colby has fared better in conference play, claming a 4-3 NESCAC record with an overall record of 11-8. A pair of wins for the Jumbos this weekend should keep them in contention for one of the top playoff spots, but the team is not overlooking either opponent.
"Colby and Bates don't have a lot of power, but both teams are great defensively," Thompson said. "They will keep the ball alive and force you to make mistakes. We need to be the team that can control our play and minimize our errors."
Conference games are always important to any NESCAC team. They offer rivalry, bragging rights, playoff spots, and a chance to announce the home team's presence with authority. This weekend the Jumbos have a prime opportunity to make a statement to the rest of NESCAC and they are not going to shy away from it.
"We know what we have to do," Ripecky said. "We're ready to see them in our house."
