In one of its most heartbreaking losses of the season, the volleyball team was just one point away from a four−set victory on two different occasions, but could not put Endicott away. Instead, the Gulls edged the Jumbos in five frames, leaving Tufts with a 17−4 record (8−1 in NESCAC play) this fall.
Even more frustrating than the scoreboard was the fact that the Jumbos dominated the stat sheet, besting the Gulls in kills, hitting percentage, assists, service aces and digs. Tufts also defeated Endicott earlier in the season, though the Jumbos were pushed to the limit in that match as well.
Blocks were the only category in which the Gulls had the edge on Wednesday, but that defensive effort was the springboard for their comeback in a contest where the Jumbos outscored them, 111−100.
The first two sets, though, showed no indication of the complete turnaround that was to come, as Tufts dominated the pace of the play and did not allow Endicott to score over 19 points in either frame. The Jumbos exhibited similar control of the match at the start of the third set, jumping out to a 16−10 lead and putting themselves on the cusp of their ninth straight victory.
"We had a game plan, which worked well in the first two sets," coach Cora Thompson said. "But they adjusted over the rest of the match, and we weren't able to make any adjustments to counter theirs."
Endicott took 12 of the next 16 points, before closing out the set 25−23 to regain a foothold in the match. However, the Jumbos were able to rebound, taking a 24−22 lead in the fourth set and putting themselves just a point shy of an important road victory. One slip up by Endicott, one successful attack, one weird bounce off the net — any of those would have given Tufts a tough road victory.
But it was not to be, as back−to−back kills by Endicott sophomore Falyn Torelli leveled the set. Tufts then won the next point to get another match point at 25−24, but Endicott rattled off three consecutive kills as they took the set 27−25 and evened the match in dramatic fashion.
"Nothing really changed, it was just that we had too many unforced errors and lost our composure," Thompson said. "We got rattled, but you have to give Endicott credit too, because they started playing much better. It was a combination of things."
"We were too defensive and back on our heels, and just couldn't win those last two points," senior tri−captain outside hitter Cara Spieler added. "We've been working on closing out those leads the whole season, which is unusual because in years past, we've fallen behind and had to come back."
Even after a frustrating frame in which they had an opportunity to close out the match, Tufts would not go out with a whimper and again jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set, this time by a count of 8−2. Yet Endicott rallied again, and the Jumbos continued their bad habit of blowing big leads as the Gulls stormed back on a five−point serving streak by junior Ashley Norley and eventually won the set 15−13 and the match 3−2.
"It was a pretty disappointing loss," Spieler said. "It was just crazy to think that we lost by two points. But we talked a lot about it in practice and have come to terms with it."
For Tufts, the agonizing defeat could bring back haunting memories of a similar loss to Bowdoin on Sept. 30, when the team held an 11−1 lead in the second set only to let it slip away and lose the match in three. However, the Endicott loss may be even worse, because the Gulls were just 12−10 coming into the game and the Jumbos were twice on the verge of victory.
"It's about not getting to that point at all, and keeping up the intensity so we can finish strong," Thompson said. "Of course, games like this sting, but we're going to learn from it and keep on playing well for the rest of the year.
"We want to compete with the best teams in New England, and our schedule gives that to us," she added. "Physically, I think we have proven that we are as good as anyone. But in order to get ourselves prepared for the tough games, we need to strengthen our mental game as well."
The Jumbos, who were ranked No. 4 in New England coming into the game, will have little time to feel sorry for themselves, as they have just seven games left in the regular season. Tufts will immediately play a three−game non−conference slate this weekend against Westfield State, Springfield and Williams in the Hall of Fame Tournament at Mt. Holyoke and Smith.
