Vassar & Finding Ferocity in Small Moments

Vassar College is the reigning National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division II 15s Championship titleholder and returns to Houston this weekend in defense of the legacy that the Brewers have built across decades. The Poughkeepsie, N.Y., team will contest its national semifinal against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 12 p.m. CT. All games will be live-streamed for a fee on NCR TV. [lead photo: Stocktonphoto.com, Carlisle Stockton]

“It’ll probably come as no surprise that it does take a lot of work,” Vassar captain Julia Wolff said of annually reloading championship-vying teams. “As soon as the [15s] season’s over and we come together for that first time in the spring, our coaches are already preparing us to go as far as we can the following fall.

“There’s the physical work – going to practice, working hard – and we’re really lucky to have coaches who coach us really well,” the senior continued. “But the other part of it is mental, especially when you are coming off of winning last year. That takes a lot of mental preparation knowing that people are going to be out to get you.”

Wolff knew rugby through her father and then brother, both of whom played in college. Ahead of attending Vassar, Wolff reached out to the rugby team for information and was essentially signed up on the first day of freshman year. Originally a prop before shifting into the second row, Wolff joined the starting lineup during her first fall season.

“Some folks were absent for a game and my coaches put me in at prop,” Wolff remembered her October 2022 debut. “I guess they liked what I showed them, because I kept playing in the starting roster relatively consistently after that.”

Wolff was learning the sport and learning life as a college freshman, so she didn’t have the bandwidth to really understand the championship build that was underway. She did, however, notice the seniors really focusing in. Back then, Vassar competed in CRAA and went on to win that organization’s DII Fall 15s Championship. After the 2022-23 school year, Vassar joined NCR.

 

“The forward captain that year was Louise Ambler, and she was awesome,” Wolff called out an influential leader during her freshman year. “Her guidance in teaching me how to play, but also showing me the ropes of Vassar Rugby or just how life at Vassar works in general – she was just a constant guidance presence in that sense.”

Wolff has fed that experience into her role as one of three senior captains this year. She’s big on building community and fostering support alongside the dynamic Sophia Bailey and Yasmeen Kassem-Scott. The trio brings different skills, outlooks and communication styles, which is useful when overseeing a large, diverse roster.

“I’m trying to find the ways in which I can guide the team to have that focus and that drive [to get to nationals],” Wolff said of the season-long pursuit. “We have a lot of returning starters this season so they already had a sense, but for me, a lot of it was about bringing people back to moments when there was struggle or hardship or close moments in games.

“Like my sophomore year, when we when we lost [to UW Eau Claire] in that final game,” Wolff remembered sophomore year. “Thinking about that in a very critical way and saying, ‘What can we do better? How have we gotten better?’ Really just trying to take the most we can from those types of moments.”

Vassar competes in the Tri-State conference, which also has Siena College in the DII national championship this weekend, and posted big wins all through the regular and post-seasons. In the Nov. 8 conference final, Vassar beat Fairfield 88-7. See Vassar’s full results.

“The score differentials don’t really show it, but in a lot of games we’ve played this season, we’ve been tested in a physical way,” Wolff looked at back-to-back undefeated seasons. “It’s about really finding moments in the games, and in other places like at practice, to really try and test ourselves in the way we want to be tested.

“Really, it’s about the ferocity in those small moments,” Wolff got specific. “Our coach likes to really focus on us being proud of our work in the rucks, our work in the scrums, and in moments that might not get a lot of glory. So for example, our coach heavily congratulated one of our sophomores, Maisy [Richardson], on her work clearing out a ruck in a game. And so now we refer to that type of clearing out a ruck as a ‘Maisy Ruck.’ You’re highlighting their positive moments and also their willingness to work in the parts of the game that aren’t as appreciated – rucking, good tackles, good defensive line – but really important.”

 

Vassar took its automatic berth to the regional championships to Georgetown, Del., on Nov 15-16. There, the Brewers faced Towson in the Round of 16 and then Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinals, winning by a combined 122-5. The doubleheader win afforded the berth to the final stages in Houston.

“So we haven’t lost very much, so it’s a matter of coming to practice and really working the hardest you can,” Wolff said of the final prep. “And just always keeping yourself humble is the other part. We’re playing on a very large stage and for a lot of people – our family, our friends, people who support us at Vassar – and knowing that just because we’ve won doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen again, especially if we’re passive when we get down to Houston.”

And especially when facing the Coast Guard Academy in Saturday’s semifinals. The Bears and Brewers have a healthy rivalry, and it’s one that has favored Vassar.

“We’re obviously friendly with each other on the field, but you can definitely sense how much they want it,” Wolff said of the Coasties’ vigor. “And for me, at least, that makes me want it even more. I love rugby for the competition of it, and a game like that is going to bring an intensity that makes me even more excited to play it.”

Composure will be key, as will a stout defense.

“A really big focus from our coaches this season has just been improving our defense, improving how we work together on defense, and making it just as important as playing offense,” Wolff said. “Our team knows what it’s doing on offense and has got that part under our belt mostly. It’s in the moments when, like If you’ve gotten a few penalties for a certain thing — say, a high tackle — and you keep having to go back 10. They keep possession because you keep high tackling, and it can really dig at you during the game. And so for those reasons, we need to really focus on playing well and playing smart.”

Wolff thought of many teammates when thinking of defensive standouts, but if she had to get narrow it down to two …

“Mette McKinney,” the tight-five said. “Just a ferocious tackler. She consistently makes positive tackles. She always there and always wants to tackle. She’s a really good force for me on the field to feel inspired to keep tackling.

“And Jude Robinson,” Wolff continued. “Especially at the 15 position, he makes a lot of crucial tackles. So that’s a really valuable part of the game that keeps us focused on trying to get the ball back and get back to playing offense.”

On the other side of the bracket is nationals newcomer SUNY Binghamton and UW Eau Claire. They kick off at 4 p.m. CT, and the national final is Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT.

“Probably more than I can put into words,” Wolff thought on the impact of a 2025 title. “We put a lot of work in this season. And for the senior class, we’ve felt that loss from my sophomore year a lot. That loss sits with us. To be able to win for our teammates, for our coaches, for all of the people who have supported us and given money to our team, driven people places, everything that that helps our team function – winning would show those people that we care and that what they’ve done has really made a big impact.

“We’re all just we’re excited and we’re ready and we’re hungry,” Wolff closed. “I hope that people are coming into this weekend ready to see Vassar playing ferociously and cleanly.”

For more information on the NCR championship weekend, visit www.ncr.rugby/teams/nationals/2025/womens-nationals.