Games of the week

Looking back (September 29) | Volleyball vs. UMASS Boston
    With pride, regional dominance and two double-digit winning streaks all on the line, Cousens Gym was teeming with energy on Tuesday night as the Tufts and UMass Boston women's volleyball teams took the court.
    Two of the region's top squads, the Jumbos and the Beacons had faced off once earlier this season, when the Beacons toppled the Jumbos 3-2 in Tufts' first match of the year. Eleven matches and 11 wins later, the Jumbos did not want a repeat of the first encounter, in which they were unable to complete a nearly successful comeback.
    Down two sets to one in their most recent matchup, the Jumbos pulled out a gritty win in the fourth set, converting a five-point run into a 10-5 lead that they would never relinquish to even the score at two sets apiece.
    In the match decider, it appeared that the Jumbos would once again be unable to convert, falling behind 11-9. But after using a timeout to collect themselves, the Jumbos retook the court with purpose, immediately knotting the score before finally securing the match with a 15-12 win.
    By snapping the Beacons' 13-match streak of perfection and extending their own to 12, the Jumbos left little doubt that they are one of the top teams — if not the top team — in New England.

Looking ahead (October 5) | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota vikings
    The moment has finally arrived. Brett Favre's career will come full circle on Monday night in Minnesota when the undefeated Vikings host the 2-1 Packers in the classic NFC North matchup. All eyes will of course be glued to the former Green Bay deity as he takes the field against the team for which he played in all 16 games for 16 straight seasons, won a Super Bowl and accumulated countless NFL passing records. The man who many consider to be the face of the Packer franchise is now playing on the other side of one of the NFL's most heralded and bitter rivalries.
    Favre's former understudy, Aaron Rodgers, will undoubtedly be looking to outdo the man who has caused him so much anguish over the past few years with all of his pseudo-retirements. Meanwhile, Favre himself will try to show the Packers that he's still got it and that they made a mistake by letting him go to the Jets in 2008.
    Favre has been playing decently so far this season (65 percent completion rate with five touchdowns and one interception, as well as another heroic pass in the waning seconds against the 49ers on Sunday), but Rodgers has performed equally well with a similar stat line. The verdict? Who knows. They're both solid teams with a lot to prove and plenty of hatred toward each other. What can be said for sure is that it's going to get messy.