Teams: Volleyball: Press Releases

Sports Information Director
By Paul Sweeney

VOLLEYBALL IN MIDST OF ONE OF THEIR FINEST SEASONS

The Tufts University Volleyball team has enjoyed success throughout its 24-year history. The program has had just two losing seasons and has won 20 or more matches 10 times. The 1996 team qualified to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Now in the final week of their regular season, the 2004 Jumbos are looking to write one of the most eventful chapters in team history this fall. Heading into a crucial weekend of New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play, Coach Cora Thompson's team is ranked third in New England with a 24-4 record, recently won 16 straight matches and is undefeated in the NESCAC.

"We have 12 able players who can go in at any time," said senior co-captain Emily Macy. "In the past, we've had to really rely on the starting seven. Now we're able to do a lot more substituting and that saves people's legs and allows us to be better in general."

The Jumbos had one of the biggest wins in the program's history, a 3-2 victory at Amherst on October 16. Both teams entered the match undefeated in NESCAC at 7-0. Tufts lost the first two games, but battled back to win the last three and defeat the Jeffs. The victory stopped Tufts' 12-match losing streak against Amherst.

In the match, the Jumbos received key contributions from all four classes. Macy had 21 digs, fellow senior co-captain Ali Sauer did a little bit of everything as usual and senior setter Rebecca Schaevitz led with 56 assists and three service aces. Junior Courtney Evans was in on five blocks and added three aces while classmate April Gerry had nine kills. Sophomore Kelli Harrison was tremendous on offense with 25 kills in five games and Dana Fleisher added nine kills and three aces. Freshmen Katie Wysham, Kay Lutostanski and Steph Viola also played significant parts.

The team's stronger depth and overall play this fall is the result of Thompson's development as a coach. A 1999 Tufts graduate, she is in her third season leading the Jumbos. She was a member of the '96 team that played in the NCAAs.

"Not only has she done a great job recruiting all over the place, really putting her heart and soul into recruiting and building a great team, but every practice is kept upbeat," Sauer said. "I think she's done a great job with keeping us all ready and prepared."

The Jumbos are a mix of players from all over the country. Macy is from Nevada, Sauer, Gerry and Viola are from New York, Schaevitz and Harrison come from California, Evans and Lutostanski hail from Texas, Fleischer is from Colorado, Wysham is from Washington, injured freshman setter Megan Tunstill comes from Florida and freshman hitter Cecilia Allende is from New Jersey.

"It's awesome to have people from different places and to be able to come together under one main goal, under one love for volleyball," Macy said.

The goal this year is to host and win the NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos are busy preparing for big weekend of NESCAC play at Middlebury October 29-30. They will face Williams College, who at 8-0 currently shares first place in the conference with the Jumbos. Tufts will also play 7-1 Middlebury College during the weekend. Winning the regular-season title would allow the Jumbos to have the conference tournament at Cousens Gym, where they are 13-1 this year. Last year, for example, the Jumbos played just five matches total at home.

"The comfort of your home court, knowing your surroundings, is a big deal," Sauer said. "You don't have to go on a three-hour van ride and feel all cramped because you've been sitting in there for a while. It helps to have people we know here too, getting the fans and just hearing your name called is motivating."

Though Tufts has taken care of most of their opponents in three games this fall, they feel well prepared for the key matches that they know could go five games. Along with the Amherst victory, Tufts also came from behind to beat NESCAC rival Colby College in five. Their conditioning work during the summer and throughout the season will take care of the physical challenge of a long match, but staying sharp mentally will be the key.

"The team should flow, because it's all based on a system," Macy said. "Volleyball is a bunch of different systems and making the right systems work, and shaping and adjusting the systems to who you play. We practice the system, and hopefully that system will transfer to the game where you don't have to think about it.

"Going into a fifth game, and it's 15 points, and those last 15 points are really what decides the match, your earlier games don't even actually matter," Macy said. "So to be able to come out mentally as a whole team and stay tough is more of a challenge than physically making your body do it."

As senior co-captains, Sauer and Macy have faced the challenge of bringing together a team made up of three seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. Welcoming five first-year players onto a 12-person team creates a different dynamic.

"It's not our job as captains to come up with the big points or to have a great game, it's our job to make sure that the team is progressing forward," Macy said. "That's been one of our focuses mentally and physically, that we're all progressing forward as one unit."

One of the bonds that the team shares is the effort it takes to play competitive volleyball while also succeeding in the classroom. The nature of the sport calls for a major time commitment from the players. Sauer, a math major with a grade point average over 3.6, and Macy, who is pre-med with a 3.2 grade point average, set a great example.

"In high school, most of the girls went to school from 7:30 to 3:30, had practice from 3:30 from 5:30, went home, and then had club at night," Sauer said. "So they really have no time. You learn in high school that you have to use whatever time you have wisely."

The 2004 Tufts Volleyball season has already been special. What happens this weekend and beyond could make it even more so. These Jumbos are ready for anything.

"This team is definitely focused," Macy said. "We know what we want and we are working hard for it. We all support each other and that makes a huge difference, especially in volleyball where it's so dependent on the other people."

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