After falling to Middlebury in the NESCAC finals on Sunday, the volleyball team found itself on the outside looking in for a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Jumbos had entered the NESCAC postseason as the No. 4 seed with a 20−9 record, but failed to secure an automatic spot in the NCAAs.
In accordance with the tumultuous and surprising nature of its season, though, Tufts earned an at−large bid to the NCAA Div. III Championships and will join Middlebury and Amherst as the NESCAC representatives at the New England Regionals this weekend in Springfield, Mass.
"It was a nice surprise to get into the tournament," senior quad−captain Caitlin Updike, an outside hitter, said. "But we played more ranked teams than anybody in New England, so our strength of schedule was better than any other team's, and that's one reason we got there."
The surprise bid validates the hard work the Jumbos have put in this season, especially in the face of tough regular−season defeats at the hands of Middlebury, Amherst and Bowdoin, as well as the loss of several key players — including senior quad−captain Dawson Joyce−Mendive, who figured to play an integral role on the team until she suffered an ACL tear in the preseason. Updike and sophomore setter Kendall Lord have also missed time, due to an ankle injury and a leave of absence, respectively, but heading into NCAAs, the team is firing on all cylinders.
Tufts' first−round matchup is against the host, Springfield, which enters the tournament with a 29−4 record. The Jumbos are acutely aware of the Pride's dangerous balance of hitters, as Springfield comes into the NCAA tournament with five players with over 200 kills; senior outside hitter Heather Lively leads the team with 319.
Tufts has just three players with over 200 kills, but Updike has reached the 400−kill plateau, a feat achieved by no other player on either team this season. Updike is also ranked 35th among all Div. III hitters, with a 3.87 kills−per−set average heading into the national championships.
"It will be a very difficult match, because they have some great middle hitters," Updike said. "We've seen them play at the Emory Invitational, and we know that they are a tough team to beat."
The Jumbos will look to build on their record of historical success in the NCAA tournament, having made the end−of−season championships for the third straight year. Last season, they reached the national quarterfinals in Ohio, only to be knocked out by Hope College in a four−set match. In 2008, they made it to the second round but were knocked out by Wellesley in five sets.
This year, however, the Jumbos will enter in good form, having won five straight matches before getting knocked out in the NESCAC final by Middlebury. That run included straight−set victories against tough opponents UMass Boston, Conn. College and Amherst, part of the reason why Tufts secured its unexpected bid to the tournament.
If the Jumbos can get past the Pride and into the second round, they have a strong possibility of playing NESCAC foe Amherst; if they advance, they could face another NESCAC school, Middlebury, if the latter makes it that far as well.
"We know if we get that far that Amherst will be out for revenge after we beat them in the NESCAC tournament," freshman setter Michaela Sinrod said. "But we just have to focus on our first−round match and head into the Springfield game strong."
"We just have to do what we do best," Updike said. "It would be really fun to play those teams, and I'm sure Amherst really wants to play us again, but we just have to come out strong as a team and play the way we are capable."
