Amherst started the tournament on Friday by sweeping past Eastern Connecticut with ease for a 3-1 victory, with game scores of 30-7, 15-30, 30-25 and 30-20.
Outside hitter and co-captain Erin Dittus '03 led the Firedogs with 11 kills, followed closely by middle and outside hitters Lauren Wong '04 and Natalie Soud '06, who had 10 and nine kills, respectively. Setter Annie Hoeksma '05 chipped in with 33 assists.
Outside hitter Jess Allen '04 balanced out the attack and the defense with a stellar performance, adding eight kills, nine service aces and 15 digs. Setter Irene Lee '03 equaled Allen's proficiency on defense with 15 digs to her name.
The Firedogs continued to blaze in the nightcap, easily subduing the Muhlenberg Mules, 3-1 (30-22, 30-26, 28-30, 30-24). Three Amherst players tallied double figures in kills. Dittus again led the way with 17, followed by Soud with 12 and middle hitter Sara Bruggeman '06 with 10.
Much of the credit for these numbers belongs to Hoeksma, who had 47 assists and also helped out on defense with 17 digs.
"Annie Hoeksma is just an exceptional player. She dishes the ball to a lot of different people which keeps opponents off-balance," said Everden.
Bruggeman tallied eight blocks to direct the defense along with Hoeksma. Allen and Lee each chimed in defensively as well with 12 digs apiece. The victory put the Firedogs at 9-0 for the season and left the Mules at 8-11.
The next morning's highly anticipated match-up paired Amherst with also-undefeated Gordon College. The Fighting Scots pulled the plug on Amherst's undefeated season and improved their own record to 15-0. The Firedogs lost 0-3, with game scores of 15-30, 27-30 and 30-32.
Soud played well in the loss, scoring 10 kills and 13 digs. Lee and Allen followed just behind with 12 digs apiece while Dittus registered nine kills. Hoeksma also had 26 assists.
Unforced errors that Everden called "uncharacteristic" of her team's play were factors in the loss, coupled with the hot play of Gordon's Lauren Barnes, a junior middle hitter who had 20 kills in the match.
Despite the loss, the Firedogs remained positive. "I was really impressed with the way that we didn't give up in the third game," said Allen. "We had lost two games, and the third game got to 29-27 with Gordon winning and, instead of throwing in the towel to a good team, we put up a really good fight, even though we lost 32-30. It shows a lot of heart."
Though a win against Gordon would have given Everden victory number 400, she did not have to wait long to reach that milestone. Amherst came back strong against NESCAC foe Middlebury with a 3-0 win. The Firedogs defeated the Panthers soundly, 30-20, 30-20 and 30-14. The team again showed a balanced attack with Dittus, Bruggeman and Allen all reaching double digits in the kill category with 11, 10 and 10, respectively. Hoeksma's 35 assists outpaced the whole Middlebury team, which registered only 21 total. Middlebury fell to 5-5 with the loss and Amherst remains at the top of the NESCAC standings, undefeated in conference play.
Though Everden admits that she was well aware she was closing in on win number 400, she hands most of the credit to her players. "It's a tribute to the individuals who have come here to be student-athletes," said Everden of her accomplishment. "It has more to do with those you coach than you yourself."
Regardless of whom the credit lies with, Everden boasts a win percentage of .700, with 400 wins and a scant 171 losses, incredible numbers for an extremely competitive conference. The Firedogs return to the court on Oct. 11 for a NESCAC Quad at Tufts where they will face Middlebury, Williams, Hamilton and Tufts. For the first time, Everden has scheduled two weekends off in hopes that the team will be fresher coming into postseason play.