Amherst coasted through the first game, outpacing the Lyons 30-20. Moving on to make easy work of Wheaton in the second game, which ended in a score of 30-16. With their backs against the fence, the Lyons struggled to stay in the game and held even with Amherst long enough to tie the game at 14 apiece before the Firedogs closed out the game 30-25.
"Our offense looked great this weekend," said senior tri-captain and outside hitter Jaclyn DeMais. "[Sara] Heller moved the ball around a lot and freed up some hitters so that we were able to hit against split or solo blocks."
The match featured 19 kills from DeMais, along with nine from senior tri-captain Whitney Kouvaris '08 and eight from outside hitter Hannah Wirth '09. DeMais, defensive specialists Rachel Yorke '11 and tri-captain Julie Berkley '08 combined for 42 digs, with first-year Jackie Berkley adding three blocks to the Jeffs' defensive statistics.
The second match of the night for Amherst, against Brandeis, was close from the very first serve. The two teams traded points for almost the entire first game until Brandeis broke a 21-21 tie and never relinquished the lead, taking the game 30-24. Though the 'Dogs trailed late in the second game, Amherst kept the score close and eventually overtook Brandeis. Still, the Judges didn't give up and pulled out a 32-30 win.
The third game showcased some stellar defense by Amherst and the Judges weren't able to follow suit as the 'Dogs narrowly edged out Brandeis 30-28. With the match on the line Amherst fought for every point and kept themselves alive as Kouvaris rocketed two kills over the net, accompanied by roars of joy from Amherst fans, to secure a 31-29 victory in game four. The Firedogs could not hold on in game five, however, and dropped their third match of the fall season.
Middle hitter Laura Hyman '11 defended the net, notching five blocks, while fellow first-years Yorke and Erin Camp tallied 23 and 10 digs, respectively. Kouvaris and DeMais scored most of the points, totaling 35 kills between them, aided by junior setter Sara Heller who racked up 50 assists.
As the Firedogs traveled to Smith the next morning they knew that they needed to regain their composure. The team did just that, beating Springfield College in three straight games. Though the Pride kept the competition close in game one, losing by a two-point margin, 30-28, the 'Dogs cruised through the next two games, prevailing 30-16 and 30-24.
The next match saw the Firedogs challenging Wellesley College for first place in the gold bracket and fifth place overall in the tournament. Amherst came out of the gates as though they had something to prove. The Dogs won in three convincing games, 30-18, 30-15 and 30-23. The win boosted the team's confidence and fostered greater team unity.
"The high point was coming out really strong for our last match of the tournament and shutting out Wellesley," said DeMais. "If we play like a team and play hard throughout each match we will be successful."
Defensive specialist Bethany Belisle '10 gave an impressive performance on the day, totaling 19 digs in two games. Claire Holton-Basaldua '09 showcased her hitting skills, grabbing seven kills for an impressive hitting percentage of .386 against Springfield. DeMais and Kouvaris combined for 67 kills on Saturday while Heller picked up 83 assists.
More recently, Amherst picked up its seventh conference win of the season last night at Trinity College. Led by the 14 kills and two aces of DeMais, the Firedogs swept the Bantams 32-30, 30-24 and 30-21. Also playing key roles for Amherst in the victory were Sara Heller '08 with 44 assists, Rachel Yorke '11 with 21 digs and tri-captain Whitney Kouvaris '08 with 16 kills. With only two conference games to go, the Firedogs only need to hold on for a little bit longer to earn the number one seed for the NESCAC Tournament and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.