The Firedogs headed into Friday and Saturday's Hall of Fame Volleyball Classic with loads of confidence. They ended the weekend 2-2, going 2-1 in pool play and losing in the first round of the championship bracket. The 'Dogs remain at six games over .500, with a 15-9 record. Since none of the tournament's games counted toward the team's conference record, they remain at 4-3 in NESCAC play.
Going into Friday's pool play at home, Amherst recognized the importance of the win over Williams but moved on, understanding the difficult task posed by the Hall of Fame Classic.
"Our win against Williams really demonstrated what our team is capable of this year-we showed incredible heart by really digging deep and fighting to win the third, fourth and fifth games of that match," explained senior tri-captain Natalie Soud. "I think we went into the weekend with a lot more confidence than we'd had before, but knowing that we'd need to show the same unrelenting effort and mental toughness it took to beat Williams."
The mental toughness Amherst showed in the Williams match came into play in the 'Dogs first match against 17-9 Endicott College. A very slow start-including an uncanny 12 attack errors-resulted in a 30-24 loss in the opening game, and seemed to portend a letdown match. The 'Dogs responded, however, to sweep through the next three games, winning 30-21, 30-23 and 30-26 to capture the match.
Standout outside hitters Jaclyn DeMais '08 and Kristin Quinn '07 led the offensive attack, contributing 18 and 19 kills, respectively-many assisted by setter Sara Heller '09, who had 51 assists. Outside hitter Whitney Kouvaris '08 chipped in with 14 kills of her own. Quinn converted half of her scoring opportunities, while DeMais also had five service aces to go along with 17 digs on the defensive end. Defensive specialist Julie Berkley '08 also stopped the Endicott attack with 15 digs.
The second round of pool play began just 30 minutes after the four-game victory over Endicott. Not only did they have almost no rest, the 'Dogs had to take on one of the region's toughest teams, MIT, fresh off of a 3-0 victory over Bates College. Despite these less than ideal circumstances, the 'Dogs fought hard, losing a five-game battle.
Still out of breath from the first match, Amherst lost the first game by a 30-25 margin. After a decisive 30-21 victory in the second game and a 30-27 win in the third, the 'Dogs appeared poised to win their second huge match in a week, but it was not meant to be. MIT knotted the match at two games a piece with a 30-25 game four victory. The Jeffs, running on fumes, fell 15-8 in the fifth, decisive game.
Individually, DeMais continued her hot play with a well-rounded 15 kills, 20 digs, two blocks and an ace. Her partner in crime at the net, Quinn, had 13 kills and two aces. Amherst also got production out of Soud, who had seven kills, and outside hitter Hannah Wirth '09, who had six kills and six blocks. Heller dished out 46 assists, and senior tri-captain outside hitter Kate Raddock and Berkley teamed up for 43 digs.
Amherst entered the final day of competition with a 1-1 record, and hoped to grab another victory in the final game of pool play before moving to the championship bracket. Saturday's games, which took place at neighboring Smith College, began against Bridgewater State College.
A tight first game, a 30-27 Amherst victory, set the tone for the match, which the 'Dogs won in four games. Narrowly losing the second game 31-29, Amherst responded, again showing mental toughness, winning the next two games 30-21 and 30-27. DeMais had 19 digs and teamed with Quinn for a combined 29 kills. Wirth added double-digit kills as well, with 10, along with three blocks. Heller, along with her usual 30-plus assists (36), helped the 'Dogs' cause on defense with 10 blocks and nine digs. Defensive specialist Laura Golden '07 helped protect the Amherst side with 10 digs of her own.
In that afternoon's championship bracket, the 'Dogs found themselves paired with Colby College. Colby, undefeated in NESCAC play, was going to be a difficult foe. A little over a month ago, Amherst fell in five games to the same White Mules 30-22, 24-30, 23-30, 30-22, 15-3. This time, they suffered a similar five-game loss in an exciting back-and-forth match.
With a relatively lopsided 30-19 win in the first game, Amherst seemed ready to seek revenge and put themselves in the company of the NESCAC elite. The White Mules, proving why they are the best in the conference, reacted with a big win of their own, taking the second game 30-17. The third and fourth games were a little tighter, Amherst winning the third 30-25, Colby victorious in the fourth 30-23. The 'Dogs put up more of a fight in the fifth game than in their previous meeting with Colby, but, in the end, the results were the same, a 15-9 decision sealing their fate.
Defense led the 'Dogs, who had four players record double-digit digs. DeMais led the team with 15, but Heller and Golden had 13 apiece, and Raddock pitched in 12. Offensively, DeMais logged one of her most dominating performances with 20 kills. Quinn and Kouvaris also contributed on the attack with 16 and 13 kills, respectively. Heller's supreme setting skills accounted for 48 assists, and she also knocked in two service aces.
Where do the 'Dogs go from here? They can still take confidence away from the Williams match, and, although that will undoubtedly shine as a highlight of the year, bigger tasks, namely the NESCAC Tournament, loom in the future. "The Williams match proved our capability, but it isn't a guarantee that we'll win matches in the future," said Soud. "We all knew that we were facing some very tough teams-Colby and MIT are two of the best teams in the region, and we were very aware that wins wouldn't come easily."
If the 'Dogs can make the necessary changes-both physically and mentally, and break through-the NESCAC championship is a possibility, but, they must prove themselves this week at the NESCAC Quad at Wesleyan University, their final matches before the NESCAC Championship.
Soud proclaimed, "We have what it takes to win, and I don't think any of us will be satisfied until we come out of those kinds of situations knowing we've lived up to our potential."