A key in any sport is a balanced attack: If only one person is doing all the heavy lifting on the offensive end, then the opposition knows exactly where they need to focus, and if that one player is neutralized, the offense stops working. In no sport does this maxim apply more than volleyball, where having multiple hitting options works to keep the defense guessing.
That type of balanced attack was the key for the volleyball team on Wednesday night, as the Jumbos improved their win streak to three with a hard?fought four?set win over Wellesley College, and boasted four players with at least eight kills.
Wednesday's matchup looked like the perfect trap game for Tufts, with the midweek game nestled between two critical NESCAC weekends. Moreover, Tufts beat Wellesley twice last year, both times in straight sets, so it would have been all too easy for the Jumbos to come into the match thinking that it would be a cakewalk.
"We just have to keep challenging ourselves, mentally and physically," head coach Cora Thompson said. "We've been putting an emphasis on process rather than results."
The first set quickly proved that the Blue had come to play. After Tufts jumped out to a quick 9?4 lead, Wellesley battled hard to tie the frame at 16?16, with much of the Blue's run coming on the serve of sophomore Julia Adams. The teams were separated by no more than two points for the rest of the set, until Tufts took the frame 28?26 on a Wellesley attack error, giving the Jumbos the early 1?0 set advantage.
"The difference in the game was our focus, and the fact that we stayed calm under pressure," senior tri?captain Cara Spieler said. "We really talked about keeping our tempo up, and we did that through the whole match. We kept playing our game."
The second set was more of the same: Tufts came out of the blocks strong, but the Blue battled back yet again, tying the set at 23. Several clutch attacks from Tufts led to kills by senior tri?captain Lexi Nicholas and freshman Kelly Brennan, closing out the set and giving the Jumbos a commanding 2?0 lead.
After two comebacks that fell just short, the Blue had every right to feel disheartened, especially when Tufts took a quick 5?0 lead in the third set. But this time, Wellesley made a comeback that did stick, rallying to take a 19?18 lead, and ultimately taking the third set 25?22, ending a streak of 11 straight sets lost to Tufts, a mark which dated back to 2009.
"The reason we faltered was that we just got too comfortable and our focus wasn't there," Spieler said. "We were up 14?7 at one point, but we just let the set slip away."
Tufts rolled past the bump in the road, and the fourth set was really where the squad's balance and offensive firepower were on display. Brennan, fellow freshmen Isabel Kuhel and Hayley Hopper, and Spieler, all had three kills apiece. A kill by Spieler gave Tufts a 24?23 lead, and another Wellesley attack error sealed a huge team win.
"There's no question that we have a high level of talent on this team, and the freshmen have been playing at a very high level, which makes the returners even better," Thompson said. "But at the same time, we have to realize that it's a team sport. No one person can shoulder the load by themselves."
Brennan ended up leading Tufts with 12 kills, while Spieler and Kuhel added nine apiece and Hopper finished with eight. Tufts was actually outscored in kills and digs, but Wellesley had 13 more errors than Tufts many of them coming at critical times and the Blue was outblocked by the Jumbos 13?7.
Tufts will be back in action this weekend - the team's parents weekend - playing NESCAC foes Amherst and Middlebury tonight and tomorrow.
"They're two good teams, and we are so pumped to play them," Spieler said. "We've been working hard in practice, and we want to keep talking and keep our energy up at our home gym."
