You would think that after exacting revenge on both Williams and UMass Boston earlier in the week the Tufts' volleyball team would be out of scores to settle. Unfortunately for their next four adversaries, that was not the case.
Pat Bailey, Football - After Tufts' offense struggled in the season-opening 7-3 loss to Wesleyan on Sept. 26, it was junior Pat Bailey who jump-started the squad and led the team to a 15-7 victory at Bates.
After a frustrating offensive performance against Babson on Tuesday, the women's soccer team was left ruing a number of missed chances. Against Bates on Saturday, however, that was not a problem.
When the Florida Marlins' Ricky Nolasco took the mound in Atlanta on Wednesday night, he did so hoping to finish off an arduous season on a high note. Six months earlier, Nolasco had entered his 2009 campaign looking to build on a phenomenal breakout effort that saw him post a solid 3.52 ERA and 1.10 WHIP the previous year. Wedged between his 2009 debut on April 6 and his season finale two nights ago were a slew of trying times and terrible luck. Nolasco's emergence as an elite starting pitcher during the 2008 season was surprising to many, but his peripheral statistics suggested that it was not a fluke. Sure, he allowed 28 home runs and took on a load of 212.1 innings, scores above his previous career high. But the 26-year-old also logged a terrific 186-to-42 (4.43) strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranked seventh among all starters in the majors and foretold even brighter things to come. Five of the six names above Nolasco on the aforementioned list were stars: Roy Halladay, Dan Haren, Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee and Mike Mussina. The young Marlin had clearly made his bid to join their class. His task this year was to replicate it. And so, manager Fredi Gonzalez gave Nolasco the ball on Opening Day against the Washington Nationals. He responded with six innings, during which he struck out six batters while walking none to earn a victory. Unfortunately, Nolasco also allowed five runs on seven hits in that game. Things continued in the same vein for most of April and May. Nolasco was keeping his walks down and his strikeouts up, yet the hits kept on coming, no matter whom he was facing. In mid-May, Nolasco's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against was over .400, 100 points above the league average. Every groundball seemed destined to find a hole and every ducksnort liner managed to drop, to the point where one had to wonder if Nolasco had stolen Lady Luck's purse and spit in her face. Hoping to turn his fortunes around, the Marlins sent their former ace to Class-AAA New Orleans, where he promptly turned in a pair of excellent performances to earn a trip back to Florida. And from June 7 on, Nolasco — with the exception of three starts — has been one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball. Excluding rough outings on Aug. 12, Aug. 23 and Sept. 14, Nolasco went 11-3 with a 2.73 ERA over 128.2 innings since returning from the minors. He walked just 26 batters over that span while fanning a whopping 149. That's an outstanding 5.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which would put him third on the major league leaderboard, behind only Halladay and Haren. But Nolasco's rotten luck during the first two months of the season marred his total numbers to the point where, even after that streak of brilliance, he still came into Wednesday night's start against the Atlanta Braves with a record of just 12-9 and an ERA of 5.28. Yet that mattered little to the reemerging ace. All he wanted was to end the year the right way. So, Ricky Nolasco took the mound at Turner Field, facing a Braves lineup that had scored more runs than any other National League team since the All-Star break and needed a win to stay alive in the Wild Card race. Nolasco had every pitch in his arsenal — fastball, slider, curveball, splitter — working on Wednesday night, and his command was as good as ever. He struck out Nate McLouth to open the game and didn't look back from there. By the time Nolasco departed with the score favoring the Marlins 5-2 in the eighth inning, he had sent 16 Atlanta batters back to the dugout shaking their heads, the highest single-game strikeout total for any pitcher this season, topping the 15-punchout efforts of Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke. Starting with Adam LaRoche to lead off the third and continuing until Chipper Jones finished the fifth, Nolasco went through the Braves lineup and told every player to grab some pine, becoming just the third pitcher in the modern era — and the first since Jake Peavy in 2007 — to strike out nine consecutive hitters. Nolasco's streak was just one shy of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver's record 10 straight K's, set on April 22, 1970. All told, Nolasco allowed two runs (none earned) on four hits and two walks, lowering his season ERA to 5.06 and picking up his 13th win of the season. His effort was the epitome of finishing strong. Let Lady Luck keep her purse, Ricky, and you'll do just fine.
With the way the field hockey team has been controlling the game against its opponents this season, it was perhaps a bit overdue for a blowout victory. Enter Endicott. Behind a career-high seven points from junior forward Tamara Brown, the nationally ranked No. 3 Jumbos cruised past the Gulls 5-0 yesterday afternoon at Bello Field. The victory kept Tufts perfect on the season, upping its record to 6-0. Though the Jumbos entered the game having outshot their opponents 141-28 this season, four of their first five games had been decided by two goals or less. Yesterday, however, Tufts' offense — the most prolific in the NESCAC last year — erupted en route to the team's largest victory of its 2009 campaign. "It's been there all along with the number of shots we've put up," Brown said. "We've gotten better with every single game, and that's what counts. Things are just really starting to click now." Brown led the charge with, statistically, the greatest performance of her remarkable career. Already the second-leading scorer in program history, the Annandale, Va. native had a hand in all five of the Jumbos' tallies, notching two goals and three assists before being replaced with 12 minutes to play and the victory in hand. "Last year, she was a really good scorer, and this year, her goal is to be a really good all-around player, so she's focusing more on that," coach Tina McDavitt said. "I just think her game has more dimensions to it. She's just able to focus on different things rather than just score, score, score. She's doing a lot more for us this year." The game opened with 28:31 of scoreless play before senior co-captain Amanda Russo broke the stalemate, cleaning up a great feed in the circle from Brown and then adding another tally 4:10 later, sending Tufts into halftime with a 2-0 lead. With a six-minute flurry early in the second half, in which Brown and senior forward Michelle Kelly combined for three goals, the rout was on, and McDavitt subsequently emptied her bench. The Jumbos were paced offensively by yet another strong performance from their forwards, who have accounted for all 12 goals in the team's last three games. "We've been working on a lot of stuff with the forwards in practice, and I think that showed today," McDavitt said. "I feel like they're definitely starting to get in sync with each other and get back into the rhythm that they were in at the end of last year." "We're just doing our role in the circle, and the defense is doing a good job getting it to the midfield and the midfield getting it to the forwards," Brown added. "Everyone's just doing their job." Yesterday's game marked the fourth straight year that Tufts and Endicott had played to a lopsided outcome. Since the teams began playing a regular season series in 2006, the Jumbos have gone 4-0 against the Gulls, outscoring their non-conference rivals by a whopping 22-1 margin. "Endicott's home field is grass, and it was definitely going to be an adjustment for them [to play on turf,] and we wanted to take advantage of that," Brown said. "Also, I think just that playing in the NESCAC just in and of itself prepares us well for all our out-of-conference games." Yesterday's game began a stretch of three games in six days for Tufts, which continues tomorrow with a matchup against NESCAC foe Bates. At 1-5 on the year, the Bobcats are winless in conference this season — continuing a tradition that has seen them fail to post a NESCAC record over .500 since 2002. That contest will be followed by a meeting with Wellesley, which has won three consecutive games against Tufts until the Jumbos broke through with a runaway 6-1 victory a year ago. "Bates and Wellesley are both going to be hard games, especially since we're away," Brown said. "It's definitely awesome to be 6-0 at this point in the season, and [yesterday] was a confidence booster, but we need to take it one game at a time."
In its opening contest last weekend at Wesleyan, Tufts' retooled offense sputtered, managing only a field goal in the 7-3 loss and compiling just 234 yards of total offense. For the Jumbos, who have not won an away game since Sept. 29, 2007, there is no team they would rather see on the road than Bates, a squad that Tufts has beaten every year since 1986.
Both teams are 0-1 and will be looking for their first win of the season. The Bobcats will try to get their ground game in gear after rushing for just 30 yards versus Trinity, while the Jumbos will look to exploit a Bates defense that gave up 190 yards on the ground. This is a matchup of last year's NESCAC cellar dwellers, though each appears headed in opposite directions. The Cardinals beat Tufts last week and would already double last year's win total with a victory over the Continentals, who fell to Amherst in their first game. Colby's upset bid last week versus Williams fell just short, but it could make some noise in the conference by beating the Panthers. Middlebury will be hoping to solve its defensive issues after giving up a staggering 50 points in its opening loss to Bowdoin. Are the Polar Bears for real? Saturday's visit to Amherst will go a long way to answering that question. Bowdoin exploded for 19 fourth-quarter points last week in its 50-35 win over Middlebury and will need to duplicate its offensive output to beat the Lord Jeffs on the road. The top two teams from the NESCAC in 2008 will duke it out in Hartford, Conn. this weekend. The Bantams' title defense got off to a good start with a win over Bates, while Williams needed a last-minute score to upend Colby. The Ephs were the last team to beat Trinity at home, way back in 2001.
Arguably the best kicker in conference history is returning to NESCAC country on Sunday. Steve Hauschka, a Needham, Mass. native and former All-NESCAC kicker and punter at Middlebury, will be at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon when his Baltimore Ravens play the New England Patriots. Baltimore is undefeated so far at 3-0, with Hauschka doing his part to help the effort on special teams. Hauschka's whirlwind ascent to the role of NFL place kicker began when he was still an undergrad at Middlebury. There, Hauschka started off as a member of both the soccer and lacrosse teams as a freshman. But in his sophomore year, Hauschka decided to take his strong leg to the football field, even though he had never played the sport. He beat out five others to earn the starting job — a smart move by the Panthers' coaches, as he became the best kicker in the history of the school. In 2006 Hauschka tied former Tufts kicker Marcellus Rolle's NESCAC mark for field goals in a season with 10, a year in which he was named to First Team All-NESCAC as both a kicker and a punter. By the end of his career, he set a Middlebury record with 20 career field goals. Though he graduated with a degree in neuroscience and considered going to dental school, Hauschka was not ready to give up on his football career. He followed Boston College coach Tom O'Brien to North Carolina (NC) State and beat out two others for the kicking job. In his only year with the Wolfpack, he was a perfect 25-of-25 in extra points and also 16 of 18 in field goal attempts, including 8-for-8 from beyond 40 yards and also a game winning field goal against Miami. That was enough to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage and earn him a spot on the semi-finalist list for the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in the nation. After his year as a graduate student at NC State, Hauschka signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings before winding up on the Ravens roster last season, where he served as the team's kickoff specialist. With the release of incumbent kicker Matt Stover in March, the door was open for Hauschka to fight for a starting position. But filling the shoes of one of the most accurate kickers in the history of the NFL is a tall task, and Hauschka had to fight to earn the role. Hauschka was locked in a preseason battle with 2008 Lou Groza Award winner and Florida State alum Graham Gano. But Hauschka's preseason performance was strong enough to hold off his more heralded challenger and get the starting nod for a Ravens team that has serious championship aspirations. Now that he is the full-time kicker in Baltimore, Hauschka is taking advantage of his latest opportunity. He is 5-for-7 on field goals through the team's first three games, including a 54-yarder, and he is a perfect 13-for-13 on extra points. In a few months, Hauschka could end up kicking in the postseason for the first time in his football career, as the NESCAC does not allow its participants to play in NCAA events and NC State did not make a bowl game in 2008. Doing so would be the culmination of an already remarkable run for Hauschka that has seen him win two collegiate kicking jobs as a walk-on and stick on an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. And come this weekend, he just might add one more item to his résumé: beating the team he grew up rooting for.
The women's volleyball team entered Tuesday's game against UMass Boston with revenge on its mind. Boasting an 11-1 record, the Jumbos had only one blemish on an otherwise perfect season: a Sept. 11 defeat at the hands of the very same Beacons team at the season-opening Brandeis Invitational.
Looking back (September 29) | Volleyball vs. UMASS Boston With pride, regional dominance and two double-digit winning streaks all on the line, Cousens Gym was teeming with energy on Tuesday night as the Tufts and UMass Boston women's volleyball teams took the court. Two of the region's top squads, the Jumbos and the Beacons had faced off once earlier this season, when the Beacons toppled the Jumbos 3-2 in Tufts' first match of the year. Eleven matches and 11 wins later, the Jumbos did not want a repeat of the first encounter, in which they were unable to complete a nearly successful comeback. Down two sets to one in their most recent matchup, the Jumbos pulled out a gritty win in the fourth set, converting a five-point run into a 10-5 lead that they would never relinquish to even the score at two sets apiece. In the match decider, it appeared that the Jumbos would once again be unable to convert, falling behind 11-9. But after using a timeout to collect themselves, the Jumbos retook the court with purpose, immediately knotting the score before finally securing the match with a 15-12 win. By snapping the Beacons' 13-match streak of perfection and extending their own to 12, the Jumbos left little doubt that they are one of the top teams — if not the top team — in New England. Looking ahead (October 5) | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota vikings The moment has finally arrived. Brett Favre's career will come full circle on Monday night in Minnesota when the undefeated Vikings host the 2-1 Packers in the classic NFC North matchup. All eyes will of course be glued to the former Green Bay deity as he takes the field against the team for which he played in all 16 games for 16 straight seasons, won a Super Bowl and accumulated countless NFL passing records. The man who many consider to be the face of the Packer franchise is now playing on the other side of one of the NFL's most heralded and bitter rivalries. Favre's former understudy, Aaron Rodgers, will undoubtedly be looking to outdo the man who has caused him so much anguish over the past few years with all of his pseudo-retirements. Meanwhile, Favre himself will try to show the Packers that he's still got it and that they made a mistake by letting him go to the Jets in 2008. Favre has been playing decently so far this season (65 percent completion rate with five touchdowns and one interception, as well as another heroic pass in the waning seconds against the 49ers on Sunday), but Rodgers has performed equally well with a similar stat line. The verdict? Who knows. They're both solid teams with a lot to prove and plenty of hatred toward each other. What can be said for sure is that it's going to get messy.
In Saturday's 1-0 victory over Wesleyan, senior forward Whitney Hardy scored what turned out to be the game's only goal in the first minute of play. In Tuesday night's match against Babson, the game would start the same way. The only difference was that this time, it was the Jumbos who were retrieving the ball from the back of their own net.
Summertime can be an enjoyable time, lounging on the beach and taking in the tide with a cold beverage by your side. Unless you're a hockey fan.
Tufts senior forward Dan Schoening had his fair share of missed opportunities against Suffolk on Tuesday. But when the game was on the line, he redeemed himself, giving the Jumbos a 2-1 victory, their first of the season.
Sometimes having everything going for you — being the home team, having the fastest boat on the water and boasting the best boat-handling skills — does not translate into victories. The Tufts sailing team had a first-hand encounter with this paradox at the Hood Trophy regatta this past weekend.
In 2006, the Trinity men's soccer team managed just a 1-8-0 NESCAC record — with six of those losses coming via shutout — and finished tied for last place in the conference. At that time, the current crop of seniors was in its first season in Hartford, Conn.
If you miss too many classes or don't do your homework, there are academic consequences for your actions. Now, members of the men's tennis team are dealing with similar realities due to a new rule system instituted by coach Doug Eng.
Junior Amy Wilfert proved her first ever victory just over two weeks ago was not a mirage, coming through with a second place showing at the Conn. College Invitational to help Tufts finish fifth out of 15 teams.
The men's cross country team took home first place at the Conn. College Invitational on Saturday, with senior Jesse Faller leading the way.
After sweeping Salve Regina last week in its opening match of the season, the Tufts men's tennis team faced its first NESCAC competition of the year at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Championships at Williams College on Saturday. While no player or doubles team advanced past the second round, the Jumbos felt positive about the results, especially as they had come up against formidable conference opposition.
