Of course, to get the chance to play the Purple Cows, the third-seeded Firedogs must first advance to the NESCAC finals. To do so, Amherst must defeat sixth-seeded Tufts University and then the winner of the Colby College-Middlebury College match. Amherst defeated both Tufts and Middlebury in the regular season, but fell to second-seeded Colby in NESCAC play before getting revenge in a non-conference match just one week later.
Everden's squad is counting on its ability to bounce back, which allowed the Firedogs to stun the White Mules of Colby in three straight games in their second match-up and to spark the team all the way through NESCACs.
Although Williams is physically taller and has yet to drop a game to Amherst in two matches, Everden and senior co-captains Erin Dittus and Missy Mordy believe that victory is quite possible.
"Williams is good," said Dittus, "but we have excellent players with a lot of talent, and if we can showcase that talent for one game against them, it will be a real battle."
Whether or not the Firedogs win the NESCAC championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament, they have certainly had an excellent season by anyone's standards.
Amherst stormed through the first nine games of the season undefeated, soundly defeating Five College rivals Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, taking a NESCAC quad match at Connecticut College and collecting wins against a variety of non-league opponents.
After the Firedogs lost their first game of the season to Gordon College at the Amherst College Volleyball Classic on Sept. 28, Everden recorded her 400th career win later that day with a victory against Middlebury. Amherst placed third in that tournament as Everden brought her career coaching record to 400-171.
Following a two-week hiatus in mid-October, the Firedogs blazed again with a 7-1 run, losing only to the White Mules, 1-3, in a NESCAC quad match at Colby. The loss was Amherst's third of the season and their first downfall in NESCAC competition. The defeat hit the 'Dogs hard, but they had to wait only a week to prove their superiority.
In the final home games of the season at the Hall of Fame tournament on Oct. 25, Amherst first overcame Brandeis University and then trounced Colby in three games to make Senior Night 2002 perhaps the most memorable moment in a season full of triumphs.
"This match really represents how tough our team is," said Mordy about the Colby game, "to come back after losing to a team and really dominate in the next match."
Unfortunately, Amherst followed the victory against Colby with three straight losses, to MIT, Gordon and Williams Colleges: their only consecutive defeats of the season. However, Amherst's resilience shone once more, as the team ended the regular season with a 3-2 victory over Little III rival Wesleyan last weekend.
The 2002 Firedogs achieved a level of success on par with the 2001 squad despite the loss of co-captains Meredith DeMeules and Erica Hewes '02, both all-NESCAC selections.
To make up for the loss of setter DeMeules, Amherst switched to a five-one formation, with Annie Hoeksma '05 as the sole setter assisting everyone else on the court. The Firedogs adjusted quickly, and Hoeksma's ability to set the ball to a variety of hitters worked to the team's advantage. She has compiled 848 of the team's 895 assists on the season.
The versatility of the rest of Amherst's offense "throws teams off because they can't usually predict where the ball will go," said Dittus. Outside hitter Dittus was one of the key hitters in the five-one set-up.
With 253 kills and an average of 3.05 kills per game, Dittus led the offense, followed closely by outside hitter Jess Allen '04. Allen had 234 kills and a 2.82 average per game. Middle blockers Sara Bruggeman '06 and Lauren Wong '04 also collected admirable numbers, with 163 and 140 kills on the season, respectively.
Defensively, Bruggeman shone. In only her first season playing at the college level, she appeared in all 84 games and led the team in blocks, with 119 and an average of 1.42 per game. The only player to come near Bruggeman was Wong, who amassed 84 blocks for the season. A new rule change regarding defensive specialist substitutions also altered Amherst's strategy. Defensive specialist Irene Lee '03 adjusted well, leading Amherst with 298 digs. Playing the same position, Mordy had 143 digs. Allen also collected 200 digs at the outside hitter position.
The numbers alone attest to the fact that the Firedogs' balanced play has been important to their success. Rather than one or two players dominating, many different Amherst players have played prominent roles on different occasions.
If the entire team can break out on Friday and Saturday, look for the Firedogs to burn up NESCAC competition in Williamstown, make a run at the championship and achieve victory over those infernal Purple Cows.