It's not too often that a team can be satisfied with an 0-4 start.
But that was the case for the volleyball team last weekend, and rightfully so. The squad flew out to Claremont, Calif. for the Pacific Coast Classic after only having practiced together for a handful of hours. When they got there, they faced several of the nation's top-ranked teams in a region that's serious about its volleyball.
"The teams this weekend all had very quick offenses and the speed of the game was much faster than what we usually see out here in New England, but our girls played well and adjusted," assistant coach Marritt Cafarchia said in an e-mail to the Daily. "The whole experience was great for us; it was very good to see that game tempo, and we are going to bring that pace back here to New England."
"This was definitely a positive weekend," senior captain Katie Wysham added. "It gave us time to build our team and learn to play together."
The Jumbos kicked off their season on Friday against the Linfield Wildcats, ranked No. 24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. Though Tufts fell in three straight games, 30-20, 30-15 and 30-28, the Jumbos turned in their fair share of strong performances. Wysham led the Jumbo attack with 11 kills and also contributed five block assists on defense. Junior Natalie Goldstein was also solid, anchoring the defense with 15 digs.
Later in the day, the Jumbos took on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a team that, despite being unranked, had just beaten Linfield. C-M-S prevailed with game scores of 30-22, 30-18 and 30-18, but Tufts showcased its freshman talent as Dawson Joyce-Mendive, one of six first-years making their debut, chipped in with seven kills and four digs.
On Saturday, Tufts took the court against Puget Sound, who received votes, although no top-25 ranking, in the AVCA poll. The Jumbos dropped the match 31-29, 30-22 and 30-24, but kept the games close thanks to eight digs each by Wysham and Joyce-Mendive. Also helping to fight off the Loggers was Goldstein, again leading the way defensively with 22 digs and committing no errors in 25 attempts.
In the fourth and final game of the weekend, the Jumbos faced the University of La Verne, the No. 6 team in the AVCA polls. Tufts surrendered the games 30-18, 30-16 and 30-24, but once again showed off its young talent, with freshmen Caitlin Updike and Nancy Shrodes propelling the Jumbo offense with six kills apiece.
In addition to incorporating several new players into the team fabric, the Jumbos faced the additional challenge this season of adjusting to a new formation and set of offensive tactics.
Though they struggled with the changes, the weekend provided an opportunity for the Jumbos to adapt to what Wysham describes as a "quick-tempo offense" that allows the team to run more off of audibles than set plays. The setters were particularly effective with the new style, setting the bar for the rest of the Jumbo team.
"The setters were very consistent with the new strategy this weekend," junior Stacy Filocco said. "Once the rest of the team is able to build off of them, I think it will be really effective."
Now that the Jumbos are home, they will get in their much-needed practice hours, continuing to perfect their lineup and work out the kinks and both offense and defense. The Jumbos hope to put California behind them - and quickly.
Last night the team battled Endicott and came away with a win, three games to two. The Jumbos split the first four games - winning 30-20, losing 18-30, winning 30-17 and dropping the fourth 28-30 in a close set. In the fifth and final game, the team blew out the Gulls, 15-7.
Tufts will launch into its only first-half conference matches this weekend, with Williams - which handed the Jumbos a 3-0 loss last October - slated for Friday, followed by Hamilton on Saturday.
"Losing those games [in California] was not what we would have liked," Filocco said. "But the weekend has made us that much hungrier going into the upcoming matches."
