First up against the Firedogs were the Trinity College Bantams, who had edged Amherst in the teams' last meeting, 3-2. But Amherst smashed the Bantams in the first game, 30-14, despite seven serving errors. The team kept up the intensity in the second game as senior co-captain middle hitter Kristin Quinn took over and led the Firedogs throughout. Coupled with the consistent play of the front row, Amherst again kept Trinity under 20 points, topping the Bantams by a total score of 30-18.
Although the Firedogs dominated in the first and second games, they struggled a little in the third. In what ended up being a 30-26 win for Amherst, junior outside hitter DeMais and Quinn played exceptionally, leading the team in kills for the match, tallying 13 and 14, respectively. The Firedogs played solid defense throughout the match as libero Julie Berkeley '08 collected 13 digs while DeMais added 13 of her own.
The second match for the Firedogs proved to be the closest of the weekend as the Wesleyan University Cardinals pushed Amherst to five games. After winning the first game 30-22, the Firedogs lost some of their rhythm in the second, surrendering 30-25. Wesleyan and Amherst split the next two games, forcing a decisive game five.
Amherst had lost to Wesleyan earlier in the season, but the memory of that match proved insignificant in the Firedogs' fifth-game mentality. Amherst appeared hungrier than Wesleyan and forced the Cardinals to make several key mistakes, including three service errors-which could only be explained by the roar of enthusiasm that emanated from the Firedogs' bench. DeMais and sophomore setter Sarah Heller played well when it mattered-finishing with 22 kills and 41 assists, respectively-closing out a hard-fought match, 15-12. With the win, Amherst sent Wesleyan home early while earning a spot in the NESCAC final against Williams.
As the Firedogs hit the court on Sunday afternoon, something visibly set them apart from any of the teams that they faced: their ability to truly depend on one another at any point of a given game. Their unity proved unsettling for many opponents, and Williams was about to get a taste of the fire that Amherst brought to every previous matchup. Said senior co-captain defensive setter Laura Golden, "Not only do we beat teams, we demoralize [them]. We're street fighters."
As the ensuing NESCAC final would demonstrate, the Firedogs certainly came to play as well as to dominate their rival opponent.
In the first game of the finals, the Ephs caught the Firedogs off-guard. Luck was not on Amherst's side but that did not stop a late game comeback that pushed the game to 30-20 in the Ephs' favor. Hardly fazed and after making key blocking adjustments, Amherst came out in the second game in "demoralization" mode. Led by a gutsy performance by outside hitter Whitney Kouvaris '08 and defensive setter Bethany Belisle '10, Amherst regained control of the match and captured the second game 30-27. Quinn had a spectacular game, as usual, patrolling the middle of the court. After tying the match at one game apiece, the Firedogs came out in the third game hungry for a big game and change in momentum.
The third game mirrored the second on the scoreboard as superior defense, hitting and blocking led Amherst to another 30-27 win. As the fourth game approached, the Firedogs looked much more confident and-riding the momentum of the last four games-completely demolished a seemingly lost and apathetic Eph team. Just by looking at the faces of the Ephs versus the Firedogs, a casual spectator could not help but notice the difference in energy from the respective sides. From there, it was simply up to the Firedogs to finish the game, and they never looked back, winning 30-20 and bringing home the Conference championship.
This was seniors Quinn and Golden's first NESCAC Championship during their college careers. The Firedogs played a spectacular game in front of a hostile crowd but still managed to upset the Ephs and capture the crown. With the win, Amherst earned a trip to the NCAAs and captured its third-ever NESCAC title; and in the words of Head Coach Sue Everden, "Ooh-la-la was it a sweet one."