The volleyball team wanted nothing more than to add to its two?match winning streak and honor senior quad?captains Dawson Joyce?Mendive, Nancy Shrodes, Caitlin Updike and Kelly Engelking on Wednesday's Senior Night.
But playing without sophomore setter Kendall Lord, and with Updike leaving after the first set, the Jumbos were unable to close out the pesky Endicott Gulls.
The Jumbos dominated the first frame, jumping out to a 21?8 lead and continuing to stay ahead by at least 7 points. After the first set, though, Updike was forced to withdraw from the match due to a lingering ankle injury that she suffered Oct. 9 against Middlebury.
"My ankle feels OK," Updike said. "I could only play one set today, though, so I can make sure I play as much as possible in our upcoming matches." Updike finished with eight kills in her one set of play.
Losing their star hitter with only one set in the books was clearly a blow to the Jumbos, and the match went steeply downhill from there.
The Gulls eked out a 25?23 win in the second frame. Tufts rallied to within 23?21 on the service game of junior libero Audrey Kuan, who is also an online editor for the Daily, but it wasn't enough to hold off Endicott's fierce attack, led by senior hitter Brittany Phillips, who finished with 15 kills and 10 digs.
The Gulls then took the third set with ease, thoroughly dominating the Jumbos to win the frame 25?14. With Endicott up 2?1 heading into the final set, all signs pointed to an easy Gulls victory.
But the Jumbos did not go quietly, building a five?point lead against a Gulls team that came into the match with a 16?12 overall record. Ultimately, however, Endicott would not be denied - the team quickly rallied to tie the score at 21 and then reeled off three straight points, eventually took the set 25?22.
It was clearly a disappointing defeat for Tufts, which dropped to 16?7 on the year.
"We've had some adjustments in the lineup, and we just weren't able to pull this game out," junior Cara Spieler, who led Tufts with 13 digs in the losing effort, said. "We've got to keep our heads up high and make adjustments in practice."
Playing a significant role in the match was the limited action from Updike, Tufts' leading hitter and a NESCAC Player of the Week earlier in the season. The Jumbos were also forced to play without Lord, who leads the team with nearly 10 assists per set and is currently taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. But even though they were playing shorthanded, the Jumbos refuse to make excuses.
"It's not just about Caitlin's ankle; everyone has to step up and play better when our backs are against the wall," head coach Cora Thompson said. "We're struggling with our consistency. We've had moments of brilliance this year; it's just a matter of stringing those moments together."
The loss hides the fact that a few members of the Jumbos squad had some of their best performances of the season on Wednesday night. For example, in Lord's absence, freshman Michaela Sinrod had an impressive 47 assists in her first career start.
"Obviously, it's a lot of pressure, but I felt prepared," Sinrod said. "We played really hard, but unfortunately, it didn't pan out, and it was tough not being able to get the win on Senior Night."
The Jumbos must put the loss against the Gulls behind them quickly, as they travel this weekend to South Hadley, Mass., for the Hall of Fame Invitational Tournament.
The tournament represents the start of the final stretch of the season for Tufts, which has just one other tournament - the Judges Classic at Brandeis - before the NESCAC Championships in November.
"We're ready for the last part of the season," sophomore Brittany Neff, who had three kills against Endicott, said. "We've learned from this game, and we're going to come out this weekend with fire."
