The volleyball team has experienced a season of highs and lows this year, losing senior quad−captain Dawson Joyce−Mendive to an ACL injury in the preseason, then rattling off a 10−match winning streak before losing three critical conference matches, and finally rebounding to finish the season by winning its last three matches.
The Jumbos have to put that all behind them now, though, as they head to Amherst this weekend to compete in the NESCAC Championships as the number−four seed. Their opening round match will be against the Conn. College Camels, whom they easily defeated on Oct. 1 in straight sets.
The Camels are not to be taken lightly, however, as they have one of the strongest weapons in the league: junior hitter Amy Newman, who is dominating the NESCAC individual leaderboard with a remarkable 5.22 kills per set. The Jumbos will also be keeping their eye on sophomore hitter Rachel Schroff, who has posted an impressive 2.80 kills per set this year.
"Conn. College is a great offensive team," senior quad−captain Caitlin Updike, who leads Tufts with 3.87 kills per set, said. "It's going to be important for us to serve tough in order to make them run their offense out of system."
Updike has also been nursing an ankle injury since the team's Oct. 9 game against Middlebury, which has limited her playing time significantly. She is expected to play in the upcoming tournament.
Meanwhile, the Camels are entering the tournament at their peak, having won their last six matches and 10 of 11 overall to close out the regular season.
"We all know we can beat Conn. because we did it before," senior quad−captain Kelly Engelking said. "They are a solid team with a great outside hitter, but nothing we can't handle or haven't seen before."
This season also marks a stark shift from the 2009 and 2008 campaigns, when Tufts hosted the NESCAC Championships as the number−one seed, only to lose to the eventual champion Williams Ephs in the finals and semifinals, respectively. This year, Tufts enters the end−of−season tournament in the middle of the pack, with Amherst and Middlebury grabbing the title of pre−tournament favorites, and the three−time defending champion Ephs serving as an underdog at the number−six seed.
"The NESCAC is so strong, so there's no telling who will end up on top, despite what the seeds and records say," Engelking said. "We get to play teams in our conference we have all seen at least once already in the regular season."
Tufts will be looking to build on its relative historical success in the tournament, having reached at least the semifinal round in the last three seasons and in five of the last six overall. The actual championship has always proved elusive, though, with Tufts winning no titles over the past decade while perpetually strong Williams collected seven championships during the same period.
Winning the title this year would take on an even greater significance, because it is the only way that the Jumbos can qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Last year, they made the tournament as an at−large bid based on their strong performance in the regular season, even though they lost in the finals of the NESCAC tournament, eventually losing in the NCAA quarterfinals to Hope College.
This year, however, the Jumbos have no chance for an at−large bid because of the ups and downs during the regular season and a final record of 20−9, so they must win the NESCAC tournament to secure the chance to battle for the National Championship.
"It's definitely the most thrilling time of the season for us," Engelking said. "We're all excited to do our best in the upcoming tournament."
