The volleyball team will head into a critical weekend of NESCAC play on a positive note, after scoring a four-game victory over Brandeis on Tuesday night.
The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Jumbos, who were playing their first game since switching from a 6-2 to a 5-1 setup. The new system keeps one setter on the floor for the entire game and reduces the players in Tufts' rotation from 10 to eight.
"It allows for more consistency on the court," senior captain Katie Wysham said. "There's always one setter to turn to, and that means that more people will be on the court for the whole time, which in volleyball is important because communication is so critical. If you have people coming in and out, it allows for confusion and all that to happen."
The Jumbos came out strong and took the first two games by scores of 30-25 and 30-27. Brandeis then avoided the sweep by winning a tight third game 31-29 and seemed to be on its way to forcing a fifth game when it took a 26-25 lead in the fourth. But Tufts rallied late and won the final five points of the match.
"We knew they were really tough," junior Stacy Filocco said. "They beat Williams, so it was great to get a midweek win."
Freshman outside hitter Dawson Joyce-Mendive led the team in kills with 21, tying Brandeis junior Lorraine Wingenbach for the match high. Junior Natalie Goldstein and Wysham were in their usual spots leading the Jumbos defensively, pacing the team with 18 digs and seven blocks, respectively. Filocco continued her strong play on offense and defense with 15 kills and 16 digs.
"We have had a tough season, with the hardest schedule in New England," Filocco said. "I've been really trying to improve, and I've been going to the gym every day, and we've been working hard."
The Jumbos handed the Judges their first home loss in 17 matches, a streak that dated back to the 2005 season.
"That felt amazing," coach Marritt Cafarchia said. "We actually didn't know they had a 17-game winning streak at home until after the game, so that was an added bonus."
The win could not have come at a better time for Tufts, which heads to Amherst this weekend to play a round robin against NESCAC foes Trinity and Wesleyan. The Jumbos have endured a streaky season. After it dropped its first four matches, the team won seven of its next nine and, behind the strength of a second-place showing at the MIT Invitational, propelled its record above .500. After their success at MIT, however, the Jumbos lost five of their next six matches, including two conference games to Amherst and Middlebury.
But Tufts is hopeful that its switch to a 5-1 can help it start a new winning streak, one that could not come at a better time.
"We kind of needed to change around our season," Wysham said. "To do one thing to change it around and to have this win support that decision gives us a lot of optimism. It's really important for us to become more efficient and fluid as a team."
The Jumbos want to use this weekend to improve upon their 1-3 NESCAC record, which has left them in eighth place in the conference. With six NESCAC games remaining on the schedule, the team has ample opportunity to improve on its record, beginning Friday, when it takes on 3-2 Trinity.
The next day, Tufts will face one of its biggest tests of the season, when it squares off against a big-hitting Wesleyan team that boasts the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year, junior outside hitter Lisa Drennan.
"We're going up there to play some good teams, but I am very confident we will surprise some people," Cafarchia said. "We have had a slow start and created somewhat of an underdog mentality for ourselves. If we go out there and control our side of the net and make in-game adjustments, we should have a good time this weekend."
Sapna Bansil contributed reporting to this article.
