For a moment, it appeared as though the Tufts volleyball team's six-game winning streak would come to an end. But good teams always find a way to win, and ultimately the Jumbos showed exactly why last year's success wasn't just a fluke.
Brandeis rolled in the first set 25-12 at Red Auerbach Arena on Tuesday, setting the Jumbos back on their heels. But Tufts responded in kind, winning the next three sets 25-22, 25-22 and 25-21 to take its seventh straight match.
The Judges took advantage of the Jumbos' errors in the first four points of the match and won the first set with help from 11 Tufts miscues. When the Jumbos weren't getting in their own way in the opening set, Brandeis junior Paige Blasco dominated with six kills and senior Lauren Polinsky served up three aces. It was only the sixth set Tufts has lost all year, and the thirteen-point margin was by far the largest deficit the team has suffered this season.
"It was a really lack of focus," Tufts senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson said. "We knew going in that we were the stronger team, and we thought that we could win using half our skills. But then we realized we need to play our best all the time and we had a mental shift."
"We were obviously just not on our game," fellow senior co-captain Dena Feiger added. "We weren't connecting. After we lost, we said, ‘We know we're better than Brandeis' and we started to play."
The Jumbos had already beaten the Judges handily this year in three sets at the Brandeis Invitational on Sept. 12, and that dominance showed late on Tuesday. Down 10-9 in the second set, the Jumbos responded with a four-point run, establishing a 13-10 lead on a kill by sophomore Lexi Nicholas. Brandeis battled back to tie the set at 18, but the Jumbos closed out by winning seven of the next 11 points to even the match.
The Jumbos carried this momentum into the ensuing set by opening with an 8-3 advantage. Brandeis came back to claim a 15-12 lead behind solid play from junior Nicole Smith, who netted a kill and a block during the run en route to a nine-kill performance in the match. Brandeis seemed to be in a good position with a 20-19 lead, but Tufts ran away with six of the next eight points, sealing the set with a block by junior Dawson Joyce-Mendive, who also contributed four kills in the set.
Neither squad was able to hold serve for long in the final set, as 10 combined service errors marked a 25-21 Tufts victory. Trailing 19-17, the Judges fell apart, unable to hit one of their next three service attempts inbounds.
"I think we were serving tough and putting pressure on Tufts in the first game," Brandeis coach Michelle Kim said. "Unfortunately, they came back in the second, third and fourth, and we did not have as good a showing. They changed their starting rotation around, so that was a little bit different, and they serve-received much better. When they were controlling the first pass, they ran a much more effective offense."
"I think when we get a rhythm going, when we get our serve-receive passing going, our offense is unstoppable," Helgeson said.
Leading the Jumbos' defense, as she has done all season, was sophomore libero Audrey Kuan, who finished with a match-high 26 digs. Offensively, Feiger's 41 assists were delivered via Helgeson and junior Caitlin Updike, who finished with 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
"Really right now all the hitters are playing well," Feiger said. "I feel like I can set anyone and expect a kill from them. They're all doing a great job of putting the ball away."
Last year, the Jumbos had two separate winning streaks greater than seven, including a 15-match run to begin the year. Perhaps the high point during that streak was Tufts' victory at the MIT Invitational, where Tufts hopes to repeat as champions this weekend.
"Last year we had a really great high being undefeated, and it was a great start to the season," Helgeson said. "This year we already know our strengths and weaknesses. We still have a lot to improve on, and we're getting better as we go. Last year we peaked early, and we slipped a lot at the end. It was the first time we won [the MIT Invitational], and we have enough returners to repeat. We're all coming back wanting that same victory, and we want come out strong and get to 11-1."
"I think that really any team could win it," Feiger added. "But I think we should win it."
