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Video | Tufts volleyball team wins New England Regional over Williams, moves on to NCAA Final Four

Daily Digits

0 - Times a Bill Belichick-coached team had lost when leading by at least 13 points in the fourth quarter before Sunday night's 35-34 defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. Down 31-14 in the fourth quarter, Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes and running back Joseph Addai had a score of his own to bring the Colts to 9-0. Belichick gambled on 4th-and-2 on his own 28-yard line late in the final period, ultimately turning it over on downs and leading to Manning's game-winner to wideout Reggie Wayne.

Women's Cross Country | Wilfert leads Tufts to 12th place at New Englands

Junior Amy Wilfert will be returning to the NCAA Div. III Women's Cross Country Championship, but this time she will be going alone.

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Field Hockey | Field hockey team to return to Final Four

With yet another offensive spark from an unlikely source, the field hockey team is one step closer to the ultimate prize.

Football | Tufts closes out 2009 with its fourth straight loss

Not only was the Tufts football team looking to close out the 2009 season on a high note when it trudged out onto a muddy Zimman Field for the final time this year, but the Jumbos were also hoping to snap a four-game losing streak against the Middlebury Panthers.

Volleyball | Volleyball team beats Williams for first New England title

For the last two years, the Tufts volleyball team has posted impressive regular-season records and earned the right to host the NCAA New England Regional Championship. But while last year's team faltered in the postseason, the 2009 Jumbos will be heading to Ohio and the NCAA Elite Eight.

Inside the NBA | Hawks exemplify coming changes in NBA elite

Two full weeks into the NBA season, the divide between the elite and the dismal has already become apparent. The bottom of the Eastern conference looks all too familiar as the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats — all lottery teams a year ago — are a combined 6-32. Out West, not much has changed either, as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors boast a combined 10-33 record. But with the plethora of talent that enters the league every year, patient franchises have reason to believe that in five years the cream of the NBA's crop will have a different look.

David Heck | The Sauce

People my age don't really care about boxing. And why would they? It has been ruined by gambling, corruption and controversy over the past 20 years, and people of my generation have become fonder of a newer, more physical sport: ultimate fighting.

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Football | Tufts looks to end season with win

With a .500 record out of reach and a NESCAC championship even more distant, the Tufts football team turns its attention to Saturday's contest versus Middlebury looking to reestablish its pride and send its seniors out on a winning note.

Women's Soccer | Season starts with inconsistencies, but highlighted by improvement

Less than a week later, the Tufts women's soccer team still has its collective mind on the way its season ended: with a 4-2 NESCAC tournament semifinal loss to eventual conference champions and nationally ranked No. 2 Williams.

Men's Cross Country | Jumbos prepare for New England Championship

In most sports, the regular season is extremely important from the outset, as it determines playoff participants and seedings.  But in cross country, the first two months of the year are little more than a tune-up for the final month, when championship races start to roll around.

Women's Soccer | Two make All-NESCAC first team

Despite a disappointing end to the Tufts women's soccer team's season, senior midfielder Fanna Gamal, pictured right, and junior defender Sarah Nolet received spots on the All-NESCAC first team for the second straight year. Gamal was a catalyst all year at center midfield for Tufts, while Nolet was the anchor of an impressive Jumbos defense and also finished fourth on the team in points.

Women's Cross Country | Tufts hoping to earn team trip to nationals

Last year at the NCAA New England Championship, the women's cross country finished sixth out of 49 teams, missing out on qualifying for the NCAA Div. III Championship by one spot. On Saturday, the Jumbos will head to Southern Maine to again take part in the New England Championship, this time looking for a shot at redemption.

Volleyball | Jumbos have chance to make history this weekend

    Since Tufts volleyball gained varsity status in 1981, the team has only reached the NCAA Tournament four times. But not once in 28 years have the Jumbos been victorious in the New England regional tournament and earned the right to represent New England volleyball on a national stage in the NCAA quarterfinals.     This weekend, Tufts will hope to rewrite the history books.     In 1996, the team's first ever berth in the NCAAs was a significant achievement in and of itself. In 2005, the Jumbos reached the NCAA regional final for the first time in team history, only to run into a stellar Colby team that had finished the season with an undefeated NESCAC record.     In the last two seasons, however, expectations for the Jumbos have changed. Tufts has spent much of the last two regular seasons at the top of the New England regional rankings, only to suffer crushing defeats in the postseason. Last year, the Jumbos finished the season at No.1 in the NESCAC but were dispatched in the conference tournament by Williams and then beaten at home in the NCAA regional semifinal in five grueling sets by Wellesley.     This season again ended with Tufts at the top of the NESCAC standings and earning the right to host the New England NCAA regional in Medford. The games at home this weekend are an opportunity for the Jumbos to stake their claim as one of New England's elite volleyball programs and to decidedly break into the upper echelon of New England volleyball. For the past three decades, teams like Williams and Amherst have had a stranglehold on New England's one quarterfinal berth in the national tournament. This year may be Tufts' best chance in program history to break the mold.     Tonight, in their first NCAA game in the new Cousens Gymnasium, the Jumbos start on a road that they hope will lead them to the quarterfinals in University Heights, Ohio. But the team's path to Ohio will be treacherous. Tufts' half of the New England draw features no team that Tufts has encountered this season. While familiar foes Williams and UMass Boston lurk on the horizon, the Jumbos will first need to advance past Maine Maritime College, the winners of the North Atlantic Conference championships for two straight years.     "Everyone in the tournament is a threat, with hopes of moving to the next level," senior co-captain Dena Feiger said. "A team that we've never seen before is a big threat, but what we need to do is stick to our game plan by controlling the ball and being the first team to reverse the flow and execute."     The Lady Mariners feature North Atlantic Conference tournament MVP sophomore Chelsea Ward — who in the team's final two games of the season tallied 34 kills against only one error. However, in Maine Maritime's three games this season versus NESCAC opposition, the team has struggled mightily, going 0-3 and winning only one set, which came back in September against Colby.     As a point of comparison, both the Jumbos and the Lady Mariners faced Bowdoin College this season. While the Lady Mariners were sent home in convincing three-set fashion, the Jumbos defeated the Polar Bears in straight sets, barely breaking a sweat. But although the Jumbos may be big favorites in this match, the team refuses to look past any NCAA opponent.     "We plan on taking them very seriously," said junior outside hitter Caitlin Updike, who this year was honored with an All-NESCAC first team selection. "We as a team need to be able to make adjustments and be on our toes throughout the match, changing our strategy if we need to."     Updike was one of two Tufts players — along with NESCAC-leading setter Feiger — on the All-Conference First Team in a year when postseason honors were spread out among many of the Jumbos. Feiger was named NESCAC Player of the Year this week, becoming the first Jumbo ever to receive the honor. Senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson and junior outside hitter Dawson Joyce-Mendive both made second team All-NESCAC, while coach Cora Thomson received her second consecutive Coach of the Year honor.     And even though this weekend's games are undoubtedly crucial for Tufts volleyball, the team is doing its best to stay level-headed. While it would be understandable if the team was looking forward to avenging last year's defeat against the Wellesley Blue — and perhaps even further down the road to avenging last week's heartbreaking loss to Williams — the Jumbos are attempting to stay in the moment, focusing on the small details that make up a potential championship run.     "We don't really focus on becoming an elite program," Thomson said. "We focus on the process of running a competitive program, and if it becomes elite, then that is a tribute to the work we have put in behind the scenes … We know that if we focus on the process and the little things, the big things will take care of themselves."     For captains Feiger and Helgeson, this is their final opportunity to win the New England regional, but their focus is less on results than on simply enjoying the process and cherishing their final games of collegiate volleyball.     "The feeling is really more excitement than urgency," Feiger said. "It has been a great four years, and we're excited to play high-level volleyball and to go as far as we can in the tournament. We're going into this tournament to have fun. We always have fun when we play, and that's really our biggest goal."

Feiger, Jumbos take home volleyball NESCAC honors

The NESCAC bestowed all-conference honors on five members of the volleyball team yesterday, with two of the four top awards going to the Jumbos.

Field Hockey | Jumbos rack up plethora of NESCAC awards

After a season of firsts, the field hockey team can add another to its list: NESCAC Player of the Year.

Field Hockey | Jumbos look to repeat 2008 NCAA Tournament success

The path to the NCAA Championship title will be similar to last season, but this year, the field hockey team hopes that its journey will end on a high note.

The NCAA Tournament comes to the Hill

Today - Nov. 14 What's at stake: The winner of the Tufts regional will advance to the national quarterfinals, to be held on Nov. 19 in University Heights, Ohio. Outlook for Tufts: This weekend's tournament could turn into a revenge tour for Tufts. The Jumbos' road to the national quarterfinals could include two teams — Wellesley and Williams — that have beaten them in postseason play over the last two seasons.