For the past two seasons, the Tufts women's volleyball team has ventured to Smith College for the annual Hall of Fame Tournament to test its skills against the best in New England only to come up short on the final day in the championship bracket. But on Saturday, this year's Jumbos squad broke new ground, sweeping perennial rival Williams to capture Tufts' first ever Hall of Fame Tournament championship.
In 2007, Tufts fell to MIT in the semifinals, finishing third overall; last year, the Jumbos came in second after losing to Springfield College. But the third time proved to be the charm, as the Jumbos took first this year.
Senior co-captain Dena Feiger was named tournament MVP and led Tufts on both the offensive and defensive side against Williams, with 45 assists and 13 digs. Yet, the offensive assault was spread out amongst the whole team, with senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson and junior outside hitters Caitlin Updike and Dawson Joyce-Mendive all reaching double-digits in kills. Sophomore libero Audrey Kuan led a stalwart defensive effort with 21 digs, while fellow sophomore Cara Spieler chipped in with 13 of her own.
"It's always exciting to win whenever we're posed with a challenge," coach Cora Thompson said. "To win these tournaments is tribute for all the hard work that we're doing at practice. It's a long season and it can get tiring, but [the team is] doing a great job of keeping mind over matter. It was great to see them doing well and being successful."
The victory over Williams came after a 3-1 dispatching of host Smith College in the first round of the tournament on Friday night and a 3-0 sweep of MIT earlier in the day on Saturday.
After being upset by the Ephs in the semi-finals of last year's NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos have trampled Williams thus far in 2009. Saturday's win moved Tufts to 3-0 versus the Ephs on the year, and the Jumbos have only dropped one out of the 10 sets between the two teams. The Jumbos may still face the Ephs one more time this season in the NESCAC tournament.
"It definitely gives us more confidence against them," Helgeson said. "But every time they step on the court they are a different team. They are very athletic and can switch offenses and defenses. If anything we are more determined to beat them again — just because we beat them three times doesn't mean that they are going to lie down."
With its win on Saturday, Tufts improved to 25-2 on the season. The Jumbos will have an opportunity to clinch the regular-season NESCAC title this weekend, when they travel to Amherst to play Trinity on Friday and then tangle with the Lord Jeffs on Saturday.
Victories in both matches would guarantee the Jumbos the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament, as Tufts currently sits a half-game ahead of second-place Conn. College. The squad could theoretically still capture the top seed via a tiebreaker if it loses to Amherst on Saturday but are able to win at least one set against the Jeffs, since Tufts defeated Conn. College 3-0 on Sept. 19. Still, the Jumbos are focused on winning both weekend contests.
"Trinity and Amherst are good teams that will test our mental strength," Helgeson said. "At this point we're not necessarily getting physically better; it's more that we are staying focused and having better execution. At this point it's about team chemistry and the small details."
The Jumbos spent the last three weeks on the road after a home victory versus Bowdoin, and will not have another match on campus until the NESCAC tournament. This week, coach Thompson gave the team an extra day off, realizing that the season has been long and grueling. But when the players do practice, she noted, they go full speed, relentlessly pushing to improve and avoid an upset like last year's.
"It takes so much focus to be consistently good against great opponents," Thompson said. "It takes a lot of mental exertion to win these tournaments. But every team in New England is playing as much as we are. Mentally we need to get tougher as the season goes on."
Helgeson is adamant that the key to excelling under pressure for this year's team is to live in the present, stick to a game plan and stay disciplined. According to the veteran co-captain, if the Jumbos can keep their emotions in check and play with the same sense of purpose that brought them to their 25-2 mark in the first place, the rest of the pieces should fall into place.
"We talk a lot about keeping our composure, making sure that we are all doing our jobs the right way," Helgeson said. "We all have the same goals. And basically, if we continue in our rhythm, take care of our bodies and use our energy to execute rather than get nervous, there's nothing in our way."
