With first place in the NESCAC on the line, the volleyball team delivered this weekend with crucial NESCAC victories over Amherst and Middlebury, improving to 19-1 overall.
The Jumbos felled the Middlebury Panthers on Sunday in four sets with scores of 25-15, 20-25, 25-23 and 25-21. The Jumbos are now 5-0 in NESCAC play and remain the only team with an undefeated record in conference play, while the Panthers fell to 2-2 against NESCAC competition.
In the absence of sophomore kills leader Caitlin Updike, senior tri-captain Stacy Filocco took control of the offense, posting 18 kills. She was aided by freshmen Cara Spieler and Lexi Nicholas, who posted 10 and seven kills respectively, as well as senior tri-captain Kate Denniston, who also had seven kills.
Spieler and Nicholas were also both major presences on the defensive side of the match, as Spieler made 17 digs and Nicholas posted three blocks. Not to be outdone by her younger teammates, senior tri-captain and consistent defensive force Natalie Goldstein contributed 17 digs as well.
The numerous injuries that the team recently sustained did not seem to slow the Jumbos down.
"Our bench is really deep, so it doesn't matter who is playing," Nicholas said. "Dena [Feiger] is mixing up her sets and spreading the offense out."
Junior setter Feiger posted 49 assists in the win and played a pivotal role in directing the offense and distributing the ball well.
In their match on Saturday, the Jumbos visited their chief conference rival, the Amherst Lord Jeffs, with first place in the NESCAC on the line. The teams were tied for first place with 3-0 records coming into the match, but Tufts emerged with a comfortable three-set win and sole possession of the conference lead.
"We had a lot of energy and excitement coming into the match," Goldstein said. "We had a lot of confidence and swagger."
"We knew it would be a tough battle because both teams wanted first place," Feiger added after posting 32 assists and 11 digs.
Feiger attributed the seemingly easy win, which came by margins of 25-17, 25-14 and 25-21, to a solid defense. Much of the team contributed to the defensive effort, as Goldstein, Spieler, Filocco and Feiger posted 14, 14, 12 and 11 digs respectively.
"Amherst has a really strong offense, so we knew our defense would be crucial," Goldstein said. "We have a lot of defensive specialists, so it really helps that a lot of them are seeing the court."
Leading the team offensively was Filocco, who netted 11 kills to add to her defensive effort. Sophomore Dawson Joyce-Mendive and junior Brogie Helgeson also added seven and five kills each.
"It is hard without Caitlin [Updike], especially because she came off such a good weekend the week before," Goldstein said. "But we have such a deep bench and Stacy [Filocco] really stepped it up this weekend also."
Nicholas continued to prove the impact that the team's underclassmen can have, contributing four solo blocks and three kills.
"I have been working really hard to get better, but I know I need to get even better every game," Nicholas said.
Nicholas and the rest of the team's underclassmen have been a major factor in the team's success thus far. Indeed, the depth of the Jumbos' bench has served as a key weapon for the one-loss squad. But this has never been more evident than in the past week, as the team has had to rebound from numerous injuries to key players.
Updike, Denniston and Joyce-Mendive were all inactive in the team's win last Wednesday against Coast Guard, and while all the wounded, save Updike, have returned to the court, the injuries have undoubtedly placed an emphasis on the strength of the entire team.
With their 5-0 record, the Jumbos are one game ahead of second-place Wesleyan (4-1) and two ahead of the 3-1 record of Amherst and Williams, teams which are tied for third in the conference.
The Jumbos will travel back to Amherst this weekend, where they will try to defend their lead as they take on Hamilton on Friday and Williams on Saturday. The Jumbos already defeated the reigning NESCAC champion Ephs earlier this year in the Brandeis Invitational.
