Volleyball kicks off the NESCAC Tournament on Friday night against sixth-seeded Bates College at host Williams College. The third-seeded Jeffs are Amherst's only hope for a NESCAC title after men's and women's soccer fell in their respective first round playoff matches. They will square off against a Bates squad that they manhandled in a 3-0 (30-20, 30-12, 30-19) win on Oct. 9. Amherst will be led by sophomore outside hitter Kristin Quinn, the 2003 NESCAC Rookie of the Year who has spearheaded the Amherst attack in 2004. She will be aided by senior setter and co-captain Annie Hoeksma, who led Amherst with 941 assists on the season. If the Jeffs get past Bates, they will meet Tufts or Bowdoin at 3:30 on Saturday. The Jeffs beat Bowdoin 3-0 (31-29, 30-13, 30-20) on Oct. 9, but lost a 3-2 (22-30, 20-30, 30-22, 30-28, 17-15) heartbreaker to Tufts a week later.