The Firedogs sit at first place in the NESCAC after last week's victories against conference foes Trinity, Colby and Bates Colleges. They suffered a slight disappointment after a 3-2 loss to Brandeis at the Hall of Fame Tournament the week before, but then made a conscious effort to work as a team and win their final three conference matches.
Last Tuesday, Amherst snapped Trinity's six-game winning streak, outdoing the Bantams in three games. The 'Dogs found themselves with some tough competition in the first game, barely snagging the win with a score of 32-30. They entered the second frame with the determination and focus that they had been working hard to regain since their most recent loss. During the second game, they made easy work of Trinity, this time winning 30-24. The third and final game of the match featured a dominant Amherst squad that pulled out a convincing 30-21 victory.
"We did a great job keeping the momentum and finishing points and the games," said senior tri-captain Julie Berkley, a defensive specialist. "We did have a couple of point lapses, but when we checked back into reality, we did a great job taking care of things on our side of the net."
Tri-captain outside hitter Whitney Kouvaris '08 led the way on offense with a match-high of 16 kills. Fellow tri-captain Jaclyn DeMais '08, an outside hitter, totaled 14 kills while opposite hitter Claire Holton-Basaldua '09 racked up 10 kills. Setter Sarah Heller '09 pitched in on offense with 44 assists. Rookie defensive specialist Rachel Yorke defended the 'Dogs' court, grabbing a team-high 21 digs.
Following the victory over Trinity, Amherst faced the Colby Mules back at home on Friday night. The Firedogs looked confident, and coasted to three easy wins. Though the Mules kept it close early in the first game, they weren't able keep up with Amherst's spirit for long, as the 'Dogs eventually beat them 30-17. Amherst never looked back in the second contest. They opened up an early lead that proved to be too much for the Mules to overcome and won 30-19. In the final game, the 'Dogs blew it open and defeated the Mules, 30-18.
Bethany Belisle '10 turned in an excellent performance on defense, tallying 12 digs on the night to help out Yorke, who had 18 of her own. DeMais, Kouvaris and Holton-Basaldua combined on offense for a total of 35 kills. Heller racked up 38 assists.
The next day, the 'Dogs ended their regular season in style, putting on a show for the home crowd by defeating Bates in what seemed like a lesson in volleyball rather than a game. Amherst jumped out of the gates, tripling the Bobcats' points in the first game to win 30-10. The rest of the match featured back-to-back 30-17 wins by the Firedogs to conclude conference play.
Yorke and Berkley each played important roles, both guarding the court and racking up points. They each tallied five service aces and combined for 25 digs. Middle hitters Jackie Berkley '11 and Alison Munzer '09 dominated the Amherst offense with nine kills each.
The team achieved the first of its goals for the season by grabbing the first seed for the NESCAC Tournament. Solid play in the last three games allowed them to stay on top. "For a lot of other NESCAC teams, their seeds were undetermined," explained Berkley. "For us, we just needed to stay strong and finish all the games in three to keep first place over Williams."
The three seniors on the team-Julie Berkley, Kouvaris and DeMais-are looking forward to hosting the conference tournament. "It was especially important for the seniors," noted Berkley. "We are really excited to have one more weekend at home."