As the Tufts volleyball team on Tuesday night entered its match with UMass Boston, it may have been feeling invincible. After all, the Jumbos had won 10 straight matches — including 25 straight sets — and received a fresh No. 25 national ranking earlier in the day.
But in a straight−set victory that was much closer than the score line shows, the Beacons edged out the Jumbos to win a crucial clash of two Northeastern powerhouses. Each set seemed to have the same story: The Jumbos rallied their way back in all three, only to watch the Beacons regroup and close them out.
In the first frame, the Beacons seemed in control and jumped out to a 22−16 lead. However, an ankle injury to sophomore All− American hitter Shannon Thompson gave the Jumbos an opening, and they responded by going on a 6−2 run to pull within two points. But UMass held on, finally earning a point and taking the set 25−22.
The second set was almost a carbon copy of the first. Tufts once again rallied from six points back to bring the score to 24−22, but UMass persevered and held Tufts off.
While both of the first two sets were tough losses to take, neither was as disappointing as the third. Trailing 22−20, Tufts rallied to take a 24−22 lead thanks to four straight points served by sophomore setter Kendall Lord. It looked as though the Jumbos would finally take advantage of a late−set comeback and put a set on the scoreboard, but the Beacons had other ideas. Rattling off four quick points on junior setter Cassy Hanneman's service, UMass took the set 26−24, ending the match and Tufts' unbeaten streak.
Fatigue may have played a factor in Tufts defeat, with the team coming off a weekend in which they played four matches in two days.
"We were just off," senior quad−captain and NESCAC Player of the Week Caitlin Updike said. Updike finished with 10 kills and four digs. "It was hard coming off of such a big weekend and it was hard to reach the same emotional level that we needed. We certainly didn't play well and we ended up losing by very little."
A quick look at the box score reveals both the closeness of the contest and the inefficiency of the Jumbos' attack. The Jumbos combined for an impressive 30 digs, including 17 by junior libero Audrey Kuan who kept them in the match at critical times; Kuan is also an online editor for the Daily. However, the team totaled just 27 kills on 119 attempts — good for only a .05 percentage. This was a clear factor in the Jumbos' inability to close out sets and earn critical points.
The loss will not be considered much of an upset, given that the Beacons received 43 votes in the NCAA poll themselves and were playing on their home court. The teams also split their matches last season. Regardless, the Jumbos are disheartened to have lost a match that easily could have gone the other way.
"What it came down to in the end is that they outplayed us," Lord, who finished the match with 18 assists and three kills, said. "Tonight's game was simply not our best showing as a team."
The loss will likely result in Tufts falling from the NCAA Top 25 Poll, with UMass Boston rising to take the spot. However, the team is determined to bounce back quickly and recover from the agonizing defeat, especially knowing that it will have an opportunity to even the score with the Beacons at Brandeis on Oct. 30.
"We are using this loss as an opportunity to learn what we need to improve on as a team," Lord said, "We are very fortunate because we have the opportunity for a rematch against UMass in a few weeks."
Tufts must put this loss behind them immediately, as they have little time to regroup before a critical trip to Wesleyan this weekend, during which they will face three NESCAC opponents: Conn. College, Trinity and Wesleyan. With only two conference matches under its belt — a pair of victories over Colby and Bates — the set of three in Middletown will be critical to continuing Tufts' strong start and helping the team reach its ultimate goal of hosting the NESCAC Championship in November.
"Connecticut College is looking to be one of the strongest teams in the NESCAC," Updike said, "so if we can beat them, it will go a long way to putting us in a strong spot in the conference."
