The Tufts 2013 volleyball team finds itself almost completely reworked from the position it left off at in 2012. The 17-person roster features seven new players, six of whom are freshmen, and just one senior: tri-captain Virginia Clay. In addition to the loss of a trio of seniors that included All-NESCAC first team selection Kendall Lord (LA '13), Tufts will also be without Kelly Brennan, the team's leader in kills for the past two seasons, as she has transferred to Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. Inexperience is the greatest obstacle facing the Jumbos as they prepare for the fall season.
But coach Cora Thompson doesn't see youth as a weakness. She's excited to be working with so many fresh faces and is taking great care to integrate her new players into the program.
"Our goals are to embrace our new team members and help them adjust to our systems as soon as possible," Thompson, who is entering her 12th season as the head coach of the Jumbos, said. "The NESCAC and New England Div. III volleyball will be very competitive once again, and we look forward to playing against some of the best teams in the region."
The Jumbos are coming off a strong but inconsistent year in which they went 6-4 in the NESCAC and 13-13 overall. Their season was bookmarked by a strong beginning and an underwhelming finish, as Bowdoin eliminated Tufts from the NESCAC quarterfinals in three sets.
While last year's team jumped out to an 11-6 start, this year's team is more likely to struggle early on as it battles growing pains. Still, Thompson knows it's only a matter of time before the Jumbos hit their stride.
"We are a strong and united group which will work through the kinks that will inevitably appear in our first few games," she said. "We are returning an experienced offense and defense, so we will exhibit great composure under pressure and control the ball well. Every season is a new one so we are excited to learn about ourselves against some great competition [at the Brandeis University Invitational] this weekend."
Apart from the influx of new players who will be seeing time on the court this season, the team will also undergo major changes as a result of key losses. Lord will be missed on both the offensive and defensive front, as she led the team and finished third in the conference in assists per set (8.88) while finishing second on the team in digs (267). Brennan, who was poised to put up big numbers coming off a sophomore year that landed her a spot on the All-NESCAC second team, is now off to Div. II Lewis University, where she will play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It will be up to other experienced Jumbos, such as junior Isabel Kuhel, the 2011 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, and junior Hayley Hopper, who finished second in kills for a team with 198 in total, to lead Tufts.
The Jumbos kick off the season with four matches at the Brandeis Invitational this weekend. With such a short preseason, they had to make the most of their limited practice time. According to junior tri-captain Jessica Ingrum, that meant devoting ample attention to forming team chemistry.
"We are getting to know our new team members on and off the court, which is really exciting," Ingrum said. "We have been working really hard on becoming comfortable on the court with new key players. We want to make our team a strong unit as soon as possible."
Ingrum said she is also pleased by the team's positive attitude and work ethic. She sees her teammates getting closer and better every day. Like Thompson, Ingrum believes that by the end of the year, the Jumbos will have come a long way.
"We are excited about working hard and fulfilling our potential," Ingrum said. "We have a very bright group of girls, which helps us develop confidence in what we do. We really want to remain positive and composed throughout the season so that we can handle anything that comes our way."
For now, Tufts is focused on its first test of the season, which should give the Jumbos a good idea of where they stand and how far they have to go.
