Twenty−five up, 25 down.
After starting the season 0−2, the volleyball team has since reeled off 10 straight wins — including 25 consecutive winning sets, the longest such streak in the NESCAC since 2000 — to establish itself as one of the top teams in New England. This weekend, the Jumbo victory train rolled on at the MIT Invitational, where Tufts swept its four opponents to win the tournament for the third consecutive year.
"Our ball control is getting better and better, and our team chemistry is improving every match," senior quad−captain Caitlin Updike said. "We're really getting into rhythm."
On Saturday, Tufts dispatched two of its 2009 NCAA New England Regional Tournament opponents — Williams and Wellesley — to take home the MIT Invitational crown. And though the team struggled to find consistent offense, hitting at a .188 percentage against Williams in the semifinals and .110 against Wellesley in the final round, it displayed stout defense in both contests.
Against their NESCAC rival, the Ephs, the Jumbos had 43 total digs, including a team−high 16 from junior libero Audrey Kuan, who is also an Online Editor for the Daily. And in a match with Wellesley that featured rally after long rally, the Jumbos prevailed on the strength of 20 team block assists.
"We worked a lot this week on being really disciplined on defense, and that really showed," Kuan said. "We also have a really deep bench, and a lot of players who are really good in the back row."
Tufts' depth played to its advantage at the MIT tournament, where the Jumbos played four total matches in two days — two at home in Cousens Gymnasium on Friday, while the semis and finals were held at MIT Saturday. Friday saw two easy wins for the Jumbos against Smith College and Vassar College: Neither Smith nor Vassar put up more than 16 points against Tufts in a given set.
"It was a long tournament and we got kind of tired by the end, but our defense was impeccable, and we played all out," sophomore setter Kendall Lord said. Lord was named to the All−Tournament team.
The Jumbos also got a boost from their serving game, with nine aces against Williams. In the Wellesley match, Tufts notched eight aces as well as countless strong serves that forced the Blue out of its comfort zone on offense.
"We take our serving very seriously because it's the first attack we have on the other team," Updike said. "[Against Wellesley] we didn't get that many kills, but we served them tough and got them out of their offense and made them unable to set to the middle, which made their offense more predictable."
The four victories this weekend pushed Tufts' record to 10−2 on the season. Since losing the third set to Gettysburg College on Sept. 11 at the Emory Classic, the Jumbos have been a perfect 25−for−25 in sets, showing an ability to close out matches with ruthless determination.
"We've done a good job of not letting teams back into matches," Kuan said. "We've finished strong and had a kind of ‘show no mercy' attitude."
This attitude will be put to the test on Tuesday when the Jumbos head to UMass Boston for a showdown with the Beacons, a squad with whom Tufts split a two−match regular season series last season, with both matches going to the five−set limit. The No. 1 ranking in New England will likely go to the victor, and despite this season's infancy, the Jumbos realize the importance of setting the tone as the top team in the region early on.
"They're the top−ranked team in New England right now, so it should be fun to see how we do with them," Updike said.
