First-year outside hitter Jaclyn DeMais stepped up once again, posting a combined 34 kills to lead the offense in both matches, while senior co-captain setter Annie Hoeksma engineered the offense, combining for a total of 73 assists over the weekend. The defense was led by junior Kate Raddock's outstanding combined 64 digs.
After easily beating Bates with a three-game sweep earlier in the season, the 'Dogs again disposed of the Bobcats (30-22, 35-33, 30-18) on Friday night at host Williams College.
Amherst won the first game easily but stumbled in the second game, slipping by in overtime. The 'Dogs recovered for the third game, however, trouncing the Bobcats by 12 points.
DeMais led the offense with 12 kills, while senior co-captain outside hitter Nikki Davidson followed close behind with 10. The offense was rounded out by junior outside hitter Sara Bruggeman and sophomore outside hitter Kristin Quinn, each of whom contributed eight kills. Hoeksma contributed to the offense with 33 assists.
Raddock fired up the defense with 21 digs, and Hoeksma posted 12 more. Also contributing on defense was sophomore defensive setter Mikela Yarawamai with 11 digs, while Davidson and first-year defensive setter Julie Berkley each added eight digs to the 'Dogs' defensive effort.
Hoeksma led the team with two blocks and Bruggeman and junior outside hitter Natalie Soud had a block apiece. DeMais also posted two service aces.
Amherst was not entirely pleased with its performance. "Even though we beat Bates in three games, I felt like we were not playing our best," said Hoeksma.
The 'Dogs were looking ahead towards opponents Tufts and Williams, NESCAC rivals who beat Amherst in close matches earlier in the season.
Amherst was not entirely confident going into the Tufts match. "The last time we played them, it had been extremely close, and I knew that it would be a tough, competitive match," said Hoeksma.
The 'Dogs went into the match with something to prove. In the regular season, on Oct. 16, the 'Dogs won the first two games against the Jumbos, but lost the last three and conceded the match.
The tables turned on Saturday as Tufts took the first two games. The 'Dogs needed a wake up call and they got one. Great serves by Davidson and Raddock's incredible defense revived the 'Dogs, and they won the third game, 30-21.
With the match still 2-1 in Tufts' favor, the Jumbos held a slight lead throughout much of the fourth game. A late surge by the 'Dogs turned the game in their favor, 30-23, and brought the match to a fifth and final game.
The last game, however, proved destructive to Amherst's hopes of moving forward in the tournament. The 'Dogs lost the fifth game, 15-13, for a final match score of 24-30, 20-30, 30-21, 30-23, 13-15.
DeMais again led the 'Dogs' offense against the Jumbos with an impressive 22 kills, while Quinn followed right behind with 20. Hoeksma added eight more kills, and Soud also tallied five.
Hoeksma again drove the offense with an incredible 40 assists along with two service aces.
Raddock anchored the stellar defense in digs with an outstanding 43. Davidson contributed with 17 digs, followed by Hoeksma with 16, Berkley with 14 and DeMais with nine. Both Quinn and DeMais contributed two blocks a piece to the defensive effort.
The defense, however, was not enough to hold back Tufts' well-rounded offense, as four Tufts players contributed more than 10 kills to the match.
"We were looking at the bigger picture-playing Williams in the finals-and we got a little ahead of ourselves," said DeMais. However, the team was pleased with their performance. "The Tufts match didn't end the season on a losing note. We showed a lot of heart and that's very true about our team," said DeMais.
"We played a great match and fought for it as best we could," added Hoeksma.
Although a loss ended their season, the 'Dogs finished with an impressive record of 23-7 overall and 8-2 in the NESCAC.
Looking ahead, the 'Dogs will only graduate four seniors, leaving them in a good position for next season. The four seniors-Hoeksma, Davidson, Greta Anderson and Liz Braemer-compiled a 103-29 record over the past four seasons.