Tufts came out victorious after five close sets in their match against No. 14 Wesleyan on Friday. Tufts won 25–22, 25–21, 25–21, 25–22, 15–12 in its final regular season game. The Jumbos entered the match at No. 4 in the NESCAC rankings. They handed Wesleyan, ranked No. 1 in the NESCAC, its only conference loss of the season.
“Going into this match, we really focused on embracing the opportunity to play against a strong opponent who would help us level up our game. We knew that we would have to execute efficiently in order to succeed and limit our unforced errors,” head coach Cora Thompson wrote in an email to the Daily.
Tufts got out to a strong start, winning the first 4 points with three kills from sophomore opposite hitter Maiwenn Kamdje and a stuff block. Wesleyan responded with hard swings and closed in on Tufts, narrowing the score to 10–9.
A serving run from first-year outside hitter Amanda Freehill put the Jumbos up 14–9 and forced a Cardinals timeout. Both teams stayed aggressive, taking big swings and putting up strong blocks. A 6–2 run from the Cardinals tied the set at 19–19.
Junior opposite hitter Emma Heckman, Kamdje and junior middle hitter Bridget Lonergan all had big kills late in the set to put the Jumbos up 23–20. Junior setter Rianna Liu scored on a setter dump to give Tufts set point. The Cardinals fought back, bringing the score to 24–22, but they couldn’t find an answer for Kamdje, who recorded six kills in the first set.
It was an impressive start for the Jumbos, who successfully held the lead the entire set. The Jumbos defense held the Cardinals to a 0.094 hitting percentage, compared to Tufts’ .244.
Neither team found its rhythm early in the second set, trading points to 7–7. The Jumbos then let a few balls fall, allowing the Cardinals to go on a 6–0 run. A kill from senior middle hitter Julia Griffiths ended the streak, and the teams continued to trade points.
A kill in the middle from Heckman began a much needed run for the Jumbos. Junior outside hitter Claire Castor served four straight points, closing the gap to 19–16. Kills from Lonergan and Kamdje, along with a rally-ending block from Lonergan, gave Tufts another 4–0 run.
Tufts, however, was unable to find the floor for the rest of the set. The Cardinals responded with a 4–0 run of their own to end the set 25–21.
An ace, an error and an overpass gave the Cardinals an early lead in the third, but a service error gave the Jumbos the chance to respond. A Castor kill and a Freehill ace tied the score at 3–3.
The set remained tight, but a 6–1 Tufts run highlighted by two Freehill aces put the Jumbos up 15–12. Late in the set, Tufts spread its offense well, with kills from Castor, Kamdje, junior middle hitter Akpevwe Akpoigbe and sophomore outside hitter Ruby Flath.
Tufts built a 20–17 lead but couldn’t hold on. Unforced errors proved costly as Wesleyan went on an 8–1 run to take the third set 21–25.
The Jumbos got back on track early in the fourth set. Flath found the back line for a kill, and Liu dropped an ace to put Tufts up 2–0. A 3–0 run with sophomore libero Matsa Shi behind the service line extended the lead to 7–3.
Tufts distributed the ball well, with six different hitters recording kills in the set. Liu joined in the action, dumping the ball over to keep Wesleyan’s defense on their toes. The Cardinals stayed close, never allowing the Jumbos to lead by more than 5 points.
A late 5–0 Wesleyan run cut into Tufts’ advantage as hitting errors piled up. The Jumbos answered with a 4–0 run of their own behind Liu’s serve to retake the lead. Another Kamdje kill and a long Wesleyan hit sealed Tufts’ 25–22 set win, forcing a decisive fifth.
The final set was the closest of the match, with seven ties and six lead changes.
Kamdje opened with two early kills to put Tufts up 4–2, but Wesleyan responded with a 3–0 run, getting a big kill and forcing errors. The Jumbos trailed 7–5 and called a timeout.
Immediately afterward, Kamdje recorded yet another kill — her 19th and final kill of the match. Kills from Castor and Akpoigbe tied it at 8–8. A Wesleyan error and an emphatic solo block from Heckman gave Tufts a 10–8 lead.
A service error and two attack errors swung the momentum back to the Cardinals, but a 3–0 run pushed the Jumbos ahead 13–11.
The Cardinals earned a stuff block to close the gap, but they had no answer for Flath, who gave the Jumbos set point. A defensive miscue on a free ball clinched the upset for the Jumbos, who won the final set 15–12.
“Our schedule is incredibly tough, and with big wins over regional opponents lately, I believe [our] young growing team is now truly recognizing their potential. This is a deep squad, one of the most talented squads we have had top to bottom, and they are working hard to control the controllables,” Thompson wrote.
“It was great to play a really tough conference opponent [heading] into the conference tournament. We have been tested by some of the best teams in the region the past few weeks and will be better for it,” she added.
Tufts remains at No. 4 in the NESCAC but improves to 7–3 in conference play and 19–5 overall heading into the postseason.
