In what has proved to be a close-knit conference, the Firedogs' loss to Conn. dropped Amherst from the third seed in this weekend's NES-
CAC Tournament to the seventh seed. At the end of the final regular season match, Amherst, Conn. and fellow NESCAC foes Trinity, Middlebury and Williams Colleges all sported matching 6-4 conference records. Statistically, the 6-4 mark is good for third place in the conference, but five teams can't all hold that standing at once.
Following NESCAC rules, tie-breakers determined the five 6-4 teams' seeds. After all was said and done, Amherst ended up with the short end of the stick, drawing seventh seed and a date with second-seeded Tufts University on Friday.
"The ranking is luck of the draw, and all of the teams in NESCAC are very similar in talent," said senior tri-captain Kate Raddock. "No matter what place we are put into, our team has the talent and team cohesiveness to win the NESCACs. We are going to have to play difficult teams no matter what. Winning is purely based on the collective team heart, passion and the drive to be better than the other teams. NESCACs are the games to see what we are made of."
The Jeffs showed their mettle, starting out the week on the right foot with an impressive five-game win over a red-hot Trinity team. The Bantams, who had won seven matches in a row, came out poised to win and take a stranglehold on third place in the NESCAC, but the 'Dogs proved they meant business from the start, taking the first game 30-25.
Trinity responded, capturing a close second game 30-27. The third, another tight one, went to Amherst, 30-28. Again, the Bantams matched the 'Dogs, winning the fourth game 30-24, forcing the match into a decisive fifth game.
The two teams proved how evenly matched they were in the deciding 15-point game. Tied at 15, some young 'Dogs stepped up to secure the victory, with first-year setter Sara Heller's block earning the 16th point and sophomore outside hitter Whitney Kouvaris's kill slamming the door on the Bantams, and securing the victory, 17-15.
Sophomore outside hitter Jaclyn DeMais had 27 kills, 28 digs, four blocks and two aces to lead the way in the offensive and defensive ends. Heller, along with her key block, had 41 assists and 14 digs. Fellow first-year Hannah Wirth added 12 kills and four blocks.
The 'Dogs then headed to Wesleyan University to take on the host Cardinals in the first game of quad play. Wesleyan caught the 'Dogs off guard in the first game, winning 30-23. But Amherst, determined to not lose an important conference game to a lesser opponent, came back strong, winning the second and third games convincingly, 30-18 and 30-11, respectively.
The Cardinals made the 'Dogs earn their sixth conference win in a struggle as Amherst ended the match with a 30-27 victory in game four. Junior outside hitter Kristin Quinn had 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, along with two service aces. DeMais knocked in 14 kills and nine digs. Defensive specialists Raddock and sophomore Julie Berkley had double-digit digs, with 13 and 10, respectively.
"We played really well against Wesleyan, probably our best match of the season," said Raddock. "We were consistent and we worked together like a machine."
The next day, Amherst headed into the final regular season match against a Conn. team situated just one game behind the 'Dogs. The Camels proved tougher than the 'Dogs, winning the match in three hard-fought games.
Conn. won the first game 30-27, which was the largest margin of victory of the afternoon. Amherst seemed poised to respond and even the score in the second game, but lost a heartbreaker, 32-30. The 'Dogs, who more than once this year have come back from two games down to force a fifth game, failed even to force a fourth, losing the third match by as few points as possible, 30-28.
In the losing effort, Quinn boasted a .591 hit percentage and accounted for 13 kills, while DeMais and Kouvaris pitched in with 10 and nine kills, respectively. On the defensive end, DeMais had 15 digs and Heller had eight, to go along with her 29 assists.
By receiving the seventh seed in the NESCAC tournament, the 'Dogs lose the luxury of playing a lower-ranked team in the first round. However, they have thrived against tough competition, especially recently, defeating Williams and taking powerhouses Colby College and MIT to five games in the past three weeks.
The 'Dogs will face the Tufts Jumbos, a team that defeated Amherst on Oct. 15, and also knocked the 'Dogs out in the NESCAC semifinals last year. Since the tournament takes place at the top seed's gym, the Jeffs and Jumbos will face off at Colby.
"We know that we are as good as any of the teams in the NESCAC, and if we can come out with a big win Friday night it will set the tone for the weekend," said Quinn. "If we come out with the intensity we had against Wesleyan last weekend, we will be unstoppable."
The Tufts game takes place on Friday at 6 p.m. A victory earns the 'Dogs a place at the semifinals on Saturday.