The volleyball season came to a close this weekend as the Jumbos were bounced from the NCAA Tournament by host Springfield College, after reaching the round of 32 for the first time since 2009.
Those results meant Tufts finished the year at 26−6, a remarkable achievement for a team whose 15−player roster was made up of eight freshmen, and whose season began with many doubts about its ability to match recent campaigns.
"I'm really proud of this whole year, because when we came in there were a lot of questions," senior tri−captain Cara Spieler said. "But the freshmen played such a huge role, and matured throughout the entire season. We always played hard, even through the ups and downs, and learned a lot from each loss."
Tufts was somewhat fortunate to even get into the NCAA tournament, as the NESCAC ended up receiving three bids, including one for conference champion Bowdoin.
Nevertheless, the No. 4 Jumbos went into the match on Friday with No. 5 Roger Williams determined to go as far as possible, knowing that the squad reached the national quarterfinals in 2009.
However, things got off to a rocky start, as the Hawks dominated the Jumbos in both the first and the third sets, taking a 2−1 advantage thanks in large part to the efforts of sophomore Krystie Luczynski, who notched a match−high 18 kills.
The Hawks looked particularly dominant in the third frame, winning 25−12 and putting the Jumbos' season on the line.
"They had such a huge lead in that game, that we needed a new slate," junior setter Kendall Lord said. "We came into the fourth [game] with the idea that we needed to be a new team and show our confidence and grit to play through that last game."
Accordingly, the Jumbos came out with a vengeance in the fourth frame, taking the game 25−18 and setting up a dramatic fifth set.
Critical to the Jumbos comeback was efficient hitting, especially from freshman Isabel Kuhel, who finished with 10 kills and just three errors after being named the NESCAC's Rookie of the Year.
Tufts then completed its comeback with a 15−12 win in the fifth set, downing a Roger Williams squad that had lost just three games all year prior to the tournament. Other notable Jumbos included Spieler, who had nine kills and 16 digs, and freshman Kelly Brennan, who finished with a double−double: 11 kills and 10 digs.
"That game was all about our attitude," Spieler said. "Even though we got down in the third game, we kept our positive attitude up, and always knew that we had to focus on the next game and that we had the ability to win."
The comeback victory gave Tufts a confidence boost heading into the second−round match with host Springfield, a team the Jumbos had already seen twice this season, splitting the two meetings. This time, Tufts jumped out to a quick 1−0 advantage with a 25−20 victory, and looked to be cruising as it held a 21−19 advantage in the second frame.
However, the Pride rattled off six straight points, snatching the set and the momentum. The hosts never looked back, as they leaned on the stellar hitting of sophomore Tessa Smolinski to take the third and fourth sets by counts of 25−20 and 25−23, respectively.
"All the sets were super close, but they played amazing, so you have to give them credit," Spieler said. "Their outside hitter [Smolinski] played out of her mind, and we just couldn't shut her down. The last couple games could've gone either way, and we played one of our best games of the season, but they managed to pull it out."
Smolinski finished with 21 kills and two errors, good for an outstanding .413 hitting percentage, which was by far the best of the major hitters in the match.
Although Lord played stellar defense, finishing with 20 digs to go with 42 assists, Smolinski's presence was enough to push Springfield over the top.
"The match was just so neck−and−neck, so it just came down to who got lucky at the end," Lord said. "I thought we came out strong and played a great game, but they just got the right bounces at the right times."
The match marks the end of the collegiate careers of senior tri−captains Spieler, Lexi Nicholas and Audrey Kuan, who will also graduate after having left a legacy of sustained success in the program and a strong groundwork for the future. Kuan is also the executive online editor of the Daily.
"I think we came into this year not knowing what the team was going to be like," Lord said. "But I'm so proud of all the freshmen, and especially proud of all the captains. We were such a cohesive, special group, and got along great on and off the court, so I'm so excited for next year and think there are great things ahead."
