Led by a group of first−years who complemented a core of upperclassmen, the volleyball team reached the semifinals of the NESCAC Championships and the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where a four−set loss to the Springfield College Pride ended their season.
"They were a great team and played on a high level, but I'm proud of the way we played as a team. We never stopped working hard," senior tri−captain Cara Spieler said.
After being eliminated from the tournament, the Jumbos finished the season with an overall record of 26−6, including a stellar 9−1 mark in conference play. The team graduates three seniors — Spieler, Lexi Nicholas and Audrey Kuan, who is also the executive online editor of the Daily — who have been a major part of the team's success for the past four seasons. All three also proved to be valuable leaders, serving as tri−captains on a team whose roster was mostly made up of younger players.
"This was one of the most cohesive teams I have been on in the last four years here," Nicholas said. "I am proud of the way we finished and that we never stopped fighting."
Kuan, Spieler and NESCAC Rookie of the Year Isabel Kuhel, a freshman, were all recognized for their extraordinary playing this season with selections to the All−NESCAC Second Team. Kuan and NESCACCo−Player of the Year and All−Conference junior setter Kendall Lord were also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All−New England Region team. Lord led the conference with 1,256 assists, an astounding 189 more than the second place finisher, Sophia Cornew of Bowdoin, while Kuan finished fifth in the NESCAC with 543 digs.
Although the Jumbos fell early in the NCAAs, they had many significant accomplishments during the season. Before entering postseason play, the Jumbos strung together 16 wins in 17 matches, including a stretch of eight straight. That impressive run included a first−place finish in the Hall of Fame Tournament hosted by Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges. The Jumbos also earned an inspired sweep of Amherst and Middlebury over Parents Weekend in front of many of the program's alumni at Cousens Gym.
"It was a great experience playing in front of and meeting some of the volleyball alumni," Spieler said. "It was a lot of fun."
One of the major storylines of this season was the successful contribution of the class of 2015. After graduating three key seniors in 2011, Tufts entered the season with eight freshmen, and many doubted that the team could succeed while integrating so many new players into head coach Cora Thompson's system.
The freshmen put to bed any doubts skeptics had, quickly becoming an integral part of the team's success. In particular, Kuhel and outside hitters Kelly Brennan and Hayley Hopper stepped up as very valuable players for the Jumbos. Kuhel, a middle blocker, finished the season leading the conference with 134 blocks. Hopper and Brennan both landed in the top 10 in the conferences in kills per game, recording 3.08 and 3.0, respectively.
"We had a very young team, but the freshmen were incredible," Spieler said.
Looking ahead to next fall, the Jumbos have the potential to be even more successful than they were this season. Graduating only three seniors, Tufts will return 12 players, many of whom were key contributors to the team's success this year.
"I think they are going to have a great team," Spieler said. "The freshmen will continue to grow and the upcoming seniors will be great leaders. The team chemistry was so good this year and will continue to be so good in the future."
"They will pick up where we left off," Nicholas added. "They have the potential to go very far. I will be cheering them on the whole time."
