The Amherst squad faced down their counterparts from Keene State College in LeFrak Gymnasium last week and demolished the visiting Owls in a lopsided three-game victory, 30-5, 30-15, 30-17. Following the Keene State matchup, the team turned its gaze to Friday and Saturday's Classic, relocated to LeFrak from its perennial location at MIT.
The Firedogs came out of the gates in style on Friday night, taking over Rhode Island College and NESCAC rival Colby College to earn the top seed in their bracket heading into Saturday's action. Both matches were decided in three games, with the closest call coming in the first frame of the Colby match, which was decided by a 30-25 score.
Saturday brought a different result to LeFrak, as Amherst was brought down by Wesleyan University, ending the four-match Firedog tear. "As weird as it is to say that a loss is good, I think the Wesleyan loss was good for us," said defensive specialist Missy Mordy '03. "They're in the Little III, so we'll see them a lot more this season. And next time we play them, it will be a very different story."
The Cardinals overpowered the Firedogs in three games, 30-23, 31-29, 30-24. But Amherst solaced itself with a three-game smashing of Tufts University later in the day, 30-23, 30-28, 30-14. "It was kind of a long weekend for us," said Mordy. "But we came back to beat Tufts after Wesleyan, so I think we left it on a positive note."
Tomorrow, the Firedogs will head to South Hadley to face Mount Holyoke College, before returning to the confines of LeFrak for this weekend's Amherst Invite.