After finishing in a four-way tie for second place in the NESCAC at 7-3, the volleyball team had its sights set on a run at the conference title. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, however, one disappointing night at Williams proved that it wasn't meant to be.
The fourth-seeded Jumbos were eliminated from the NESCAC Tournament at the hands of five-seed Conn. College in the quarterfinal round held at Chandler Gymnasium in Williamstown, Mass.
"I absolutely expected to win not only that match, but that tournament; we feel like we fell really short," coach Cora Thompson said. "Sometimes there is no real explanation. NESCAC is no longer just us, Williams and Amherst. It's a shock but a healthy wake-up call to our region."
Both teams traded wins in a five-game marathon, but the Camels came out on top, ending the night with a match score of 3-2 (30-27, 25-30, 30-25, 26-30, 15-9). It was the eighth loss of the season for the Jumbos, who stand 23-8 overall and are waiting for the outside chance at an at-large NCAA bid, which will be announced this morning.
The Jumbos were not at full strength as the weekend began, with two of their starters, senior co-captain Kelli Harrison and sophomore setter Kaitlin O'Reilly, out with injuries. O'Reilly was not medically cleared from the concussion she suffered two weeks ago while Harrison, hindered by an elbow injury, sported a sling on the bench at the playoff game.
"Kelli Harrison has been a rock for this program," Thompson said. "For all those other teams to breathe a huge sigh of relief once they saw her walk into the gym with her arm in a sling - that says something."
Thompson looked instead to her younger players to round out her lineup and produced a competitive group including freshman setter Dena Feiger and sophomore outside hitter Natalie Goldstein.
Feiger, who has been the starting setter for the Jumbos since O'Reilly's injury, turned in a solid performance against the Camels with 41 assists, 12 kills and 13 digs. Goldstein protected the backcourt throughout the night with 22 digs, while junior Katie Wysham and senior co-captain Dana Fleisher tacked on 12 kills apiece.
With the absence of Harrison and O'Reilly, however, the new Jumbo lineup lacked the consistency needed to overcome the Camels and win the match.
"[Missing Harrison and O'Reilly] was one of the factors but not the only factor," Thompson said. "We have great players to step up in their absence, but the bottom line is that we didn't get it done."
"We've had a deep bench throughout the season," junior outside hitter Stephanie Viola said. "We just couldn't put the ball away."
The Camels held nothing back, as they battled the Jumbos with impressive performances by freshmen Maddy Baldwin on the left side and Lauren Wise outside. Baldwin recorded 38 assists and 26 digs while Wise tallied up 14 kills and 23 digs.
"We were a better team," Feiger said. "We should have won that game, but Conn. College played like they were the better team. It was a good game, but Conn. College wanted it, and it showed. They really proved themselves against us."
During the fourth game of the match, Thompson decided to mix up the lineup, moving Wysham from the middle to the right side and moving sophomore Kate Denniston from the right to the middle. This shift helped the Jumbos' defense block the Camels' power hitters more effectively but was not enough to send Conn. College home.
"Having Katie on the right and Kate in the middle gave us a different look," Thompson said. "[Conn. College] adjusted for it - all good teams will. You always need to be ready to adjust, and our consistency, both mentally and physically, was struggling."
The Camels went on to play Williams in the semifinal round on Saturday and lost to the Ephs in three straight games. Williams then went on to the conference championship match, where the Ephs were upset by Amherst, who took the title and the automatic NCAA Tournament bid away from the host Ephs.
The tournament's at-large bids will be announced today. The chance of the Jumbos earning an at-large bid is slim, however, with limited regional seats and Tufts currently ranked fifth in New England. Two NESCAC teams - Williams and Amherst - both finished higher in the regional rankings, and New England power MIT missed out on the automatic bids by losing in the NEWMAC conference tournament and will likely eat up an at-large bid.
"I don't think we've earned it," Thompson said. "Just showing up isn't going to win you games. In order to be the best team, we have to consistently prove we are the best, which is something this young squad needs to learn. I don't expect to be rewarded with an at-large bid."
Without an at-large bid, Friday's loss ended the Jumbos' season, and the careers of their two senior-captains, Harrison and Dana Fleischer.
"It's tough - you can't judge your career by this past game," Thompson said. "What they have done for this program has been phenomenal. It is not a storybook ending at all - none of us expected it."
