The volleyball team continued its strong start to the season this weekend with convincing victories over NESCAC opponents Williams and Hamilton at Connecticut College, boosting its overall record to 5-0 and lifting the squad into a tie for first place in the conference standings.
Even more impressive was the dominant nature of the wins, as Tufts has now dropped just two sets on the entire season, tied for best in the NESCAC.
The wins came using the same formula that has served the Jumbos all season: a potent mix of tall, aggressive, young outside hitters with tenacious, consistent defense and passing from the more experienced members of the team.
At no time was that successful combination more apparent than in the Jumbos' Saturday afternoon win against Williams. Junior setter Kendall Lord had a terrific all-around game, posting 41 assists, seven service aces and 15 digs.
As of the last NESCAC stats release, Lord leads the conference in assists per game with 11.20, a key factor in the success of Tufts' outside hitters, including senior tri-captain Cara Spieler, who finished with a game-high of 15 kills against the Ephs.
Tufts also received a boost from its first-years, as Kelly Brennan, Isabel Kuhel and Hayley Hopper all made solid contributions to the emphatic victory. Brennan finished with 10 kills and nine digs, while Kuhel stymied the Ephs' offense at the net with two solo blocks and three block assists. Hopper may have been the clutch contributor, coming up with a key block assist in the fourth set to go with her four kills.
"All the freshmen are holding their own really well, which is not an easy thing at the collegiate level," Spieler said. "We know that they are going to come in and play their best, and that's a big part of our consistency."
Even with those strong individual performances, the team was still forced to pull out the victory in the fourth set, taking the final frame 28-26 after Williams had won a hard-fought third set 26-24.
To the Jumbos, showing resiliency in key moments is as important as posting big numbers.
"We started off so well, but Williams definitely picked it up in the fourth set," Spieler said. "They're one of our biggest rivals, but because we kept up our consistency and our energy, we were able to pull it out in the fourth, which was so, so close the whole time."
The Friday afternoon victory against Hamilton, though, came far more easily. The Jumbos swept aside the Colonials in straight sets, and even though the third set was 25-23, the victory never really seemed in doubt, as Tufts controlled play against a Hamilton team that entered the game 7-2 on the year.
"I think we played really well, especially considering it was our first NESCAC game," said senior tri-captain Audrey Kuan, who is also the Executive Online Editor of the Daily. "We really have worked on our mistakes, and we're only going to improve as the season goes on."
The stat line looked remarkably similar to the Williams game: Lord posted 33 assists and 13 digs, while Kuan had three assists and 16 digs. Kuhel, Hopper and Brennan made their usual contributions, totaling 19 kills, 10 digs and two blocks between them, while Spieler was again an imposing offensive presence with seven kills.
"Everyone is playing with no hesitations, and the freshmen are playing as a part of the team," Kuan said. "We've got so many ways we can play and so many options off the bench."
The Jumbos will now look to build on their impressive start to the season with games against Brandeis on Tuesday and a spot in the MIT invitational next weekend. Their next conference game, though, does not come until Sept. 30 at Bowdoin, so the team will have to work hard to maintain their focus over the coming weeks.
"The more we play together, the better we're going to be," Spieler said. "We just have such amazing chemistry off the court, and that translates to playing better on the court. We're so excited to play our first home game and keep playing our best."
