Courtesy of Tufts Athletics

The volleyball team (16–9; 5–5 NESCAC) upset No. 3 Tufts (18–8; 7–3 NESCAC) in five sets in the NESCAC quarterfinals last Saturday, keeping its season alive and advancing to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2023.

The win came just one week after the Jumbos swept the Polar Bears in three sets. Determined to change the outcome in their rematch, the team spent the week preparing to approach the game differently.

“We did a lot of prep during the week of thinking about what we wanted to change because the week before was definitely jarring for us and different than how we wanted it to play out,” Alison Smith ’28 said. “We know who we are as a team, what we want to channel and what we want to change.”

The Polar Bears’ offensive production reflected that preparation, as Smith and Zoe Ryu ’29 combined for 35 of the team’s 54 kills. Smith recorded 20 or more kills for the second time this season, while Ryu notched her 12th double-digit kill performance of the year.

Beyond their individual performances, Smith credited the team’s connection for carrying Bowdoin through the five-set match.

“Playing for each other just led us through because that’s what our team is about,” she said. “We love each other, and we knew this was not the end of our season. We really just wanted to come out and say, ‘I don’t care what happens as long as we’re doing everything in our power to be there for the other person next to you.’”

Cameron Shelly ’27 also played a key role in the victory, tying her season high with 35 assists. Despite the milestone, Shelly said her focus was on extending the season rather than her individual statistics.

“I’ve never really been much of a stats person,” Shelly said. “My grandparents love watching the games, and so I was focusing on winning for them, so that we can have another weekend of playing. The stats were nice but definitely not a motivating factor.”

For Shelly and the rest of the team, the NESCAC tournament’s elimination format added another layer of significance to the matchup.

“It’s do or die, point blank, period. If you lose, you’re done, and that is definitely something heavy for us to consider,” Shelly said. “But a lot of us just kind of refused to let that be the case.”

The team’s preparation throughout the week also helped the Polar Bears maintain their composure against a strong Tufts defense. Ryu emphasized the importance of trusting the game plan and staying patient throughout each rally.

“We learned in practice this week that if you stick with the plan, if you keep working, it will work out eventually,” Ryu said.

With the quarterfinal victory behind them, Bowdoin will face top-seeded host Colby (20–3; 8–2 NESCAC) today at 5 p.m.

Following the win over Tufts, Shelly said the team is balancing recovery with preparation for another challenging conference matchup.

“It’s Colby, so there’s definitely some rivalry there,” Shelly said. “The most important thing is just playing to our best ability and playing for each other, and that’s what you saw with how we did against Tufts. It didn’t really matter what they threw at us as long as we were working together in our systems.”

With Colby hosting the semifinals, the Polar Bears will also have to contend with a home crowd supporting their rivals. Despite that, Ryu said the team is confident in its ability to compete after its recent success against Tufts.

“Colby’s a good team. They’re gonna come to play,” Ryu said. “That’ll be fun on their home turf, but I think we can pull it through. We’ve honestly shown ourselves time and time again this season that we are capable if we put our minds to it and if we work hard.”

To counteract Colby’s home-court advantage, Smith encouraged the Bowdoin community to make the trip up for the semifinal matchup.

“We want all the support we can because they will definitely also have a big crowd,” Smith said. “I think Bowdoin can show out. So show up, show out.”