Backed by an enthusiastic crowd, the Firedogs took the court Friday evening seeking to improve their NESCAC record against a talented Bates squad. The Bobcats left the court victorious, leaving Amherst to ponder what went wrong in a game so well-played and so intense that it had the entire crowd teetering on the edge of its collective seat for over two hours of play. According to co-captain Lauren Wong '04, the team "made key mistakes at inopportune moments," mistakes that ultimately allowed Bates to come away with the win.
After losing the first game 24-30, Amherst refocused and fought back, winning the next two games by identical 30-26 scores. The 'Dogs relied on the decisive net play of middle hitter Ashley Pestotnik '07, who drilled eight kills past the Bobcats. Standing 2-1 in games, the Firedogs were within just eight points away of sealing the match, but were unable to rally a response to the attack of Bates hitters Liz Wanless and Olivia Zurek. Wanless and Zurek each tallied an impressive 25 kills in the match.
"The fourth game was pivotal," said Wong. "Bates realized that it could be the last game and stepped up their level of play, but we lacked the same sense of urgency." With the momentum heavily in the Bobcats' favor, Amherst was unable to generate points early in the fifth and final game, and eventually lost, 8-15.
Junior setter Annie Hoeksma dished out 51 assists in the loss, 14 apiece to Kristin Quinn '07 and Nikki Davidson '05. Also contributing offensively were Lauren Wong '04 and Sara Bruggeman '06, who each added nine kills.
Though Amherst's offense was consistent, it was the combined defensive efforts of Kate Raddock '06 and Mikela Yaramawai '07 who staved off the Bobcat attack and kept Amherst in the game. The duo tallied 50 digs, no easy feat against Bates' powerful front line.
Disappointed, but not disheartened, the 'Dogs returned to play Saturday afternoon against Colby. Amherst came out strong, gaining an early lead that paved the way for a 30-26 first game win.
Midway through the second game, however, Amherst lost control of the momentum and never fully rebounded. With the help of solid defense and consistent offense, the White Mules put together an impressive comeback, winning the next three games, 30-23, 30-26, 30-27.
"The Colby game was the most frustrating," said Wong. "We knew we had the skill to beat them, but it was a matter of the six people on the court coming together at the same time." This inability to function in total harmony allowed Colby to put together devastating runs that ultimately cost Amherst the game.
Behind a varied attack, the Firedogs regrouped for the final game of the weekend, besting Bowdoin in three short games. Quinn, Davidson and Wong contributed nine, eight and seven kills respectively, while Raddock again led the defense with 18 digs.
Amherst, now 7-3 in the NESCAC, will enter the post-season as the fourth seed. Williams College will host the NESCAC tournament next weekend as the number one seed. Despite the disappointment of this weekend's outcome, the current ranking may prove to relieve some of the stress the team could have experienced with a higher position. "Going into this tournament there will be less expectation," said Wong. "We just have to go out there and have fun, we can't be worrying or stressing or looking at the score, we have to just play our game."