The Firedogs entered the NCAA Tournament ready to erase the memory of their loss to Williams College in the conference finals. They did just that, winning all three games to advance to the National Quarterfinals.
In a rematch of a preseason game, Amherst took on Rivier College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In their earlier meeting, the ’Dogs came out on top, winning the match 3-1. Though Rivier stayed close to the ’Dogs for almost the entire first game, Amherst was able to pull off the victory by a score of 30-25. From then on the ’Dogs never looked back, cruising to 30-17 and 30-19 wins in games two and three, respectively.
Senior tri-captain outside hitters Jaclyn DeMais and Whitney Kouvaris combined for 26 kills on the match and rookie middle hitter Jackie Berkley tallied eight kills. Six other Firedogs registered five or more kills, led by first-year libero Rachel Yorke. Yorke also put some points on the board for Amherst, serving up three aces.
With the victory against Rivier, the ’Dogs found themselves slated to play archrival Williams College only six days after the Ephs had defeated them in the championship game of the NESCAC Tournament. The Firedogs entered the gym on Saturday ready to avenge the loss. “We don’t ever want to be beaten by the same team twice, especially Williams,” said defense specialist Bethany Belisle ’10.
From the very get-go, the crowd could tell that both teams would have to fight for every point and the end result could go either way. Just like the previous Sunday, the first game began with the two teams trading points. However, with the score tied at 15-15, the Ephs gained the lead and would not relinquish it for the rest of the game, winning 30-24. Amherst would have none of it, however, and led almost the entirety of game two, albeit by a small margin. The ’Dogs won the second game by a score of 30-27. Amherst fell behind early in the third frame, but was able to regain focus and powered through the rest of the game, registering a very convincing seven-point victory. The Ephs retaliated in game four, winning by nine points and, for the third-straight meeting between the two teams, the match would be determined by game five. Amherst never fell behind in the fifth game, winning 15-11 to grab the overall victory.
Jaclyn DeMais showed why she was named NESCAC Player of the Year in 2007, racking up a game-high 30 kills. Kouvaris proved her offensive prowess as well, totaling a career-high 27 kills. Outside hitter Claire Holton-Basaldua ’09 and Jackie Berkley rounded out the offense with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Yorke also put up some big numbers, notching an impressive 40 digs.
“This was a grudge match and it was our turn to win,” said Holton -Basaldua. “Our defense and serve-receive were excellent, allowing us to effectively set up our attack.”
The Firedogs had little time to celebrate their victory, however, as they had to mentally prepare for their Sweet 16 matchup against MIT. The ’Dogs’ early exit in last year’s tournament was at the hands of MIT, so Amherst was hungry for revenge.
Though the Firedogs started the first game slowly, they soon gained the lead and were able to hold off MIT to grab a 30-25 victory. Amherst cruised through the second frame, picking apart the MIT defense and recording a huge 1 s 4-point win. With its back against the wall, MIT responded in game three, overcoming the ’Dogs by a score of 30-24. The Firedogs were determined to finish off MIT and jumped to a 17-11 lead in the fourth game. MIT could not recover, and, with the game four victory, Amherst took the match, completing an amazing three-match run.
“We did so well this past weekend because we really came together as a team,” said Belisle. Holton-Basaldua added that “[after our conference championship loss] we thought that our season was over. We got a great second chance and had nothing to lose. We just came out balls to the wall.”
As usual, DeMais commanded the offense with 27 kills, aided by Kouvaris and Holton-Basaldua, who combined for 19 kills. DeMais also led the way on defense, racking up 25 digs, followed by Yorke with 24 digs and defensive specialist tri-captain Julie Berkley ’08 with 15 digs.
The team will travel to Illinois for the quarterfinal game of the national tournament on Thursday. They will face last year’s national champion, Juniata College. “Our game plan for Juniata is to go out and have a good time,” said Belisle. “If we play to our strengths—our high energy, strong offense and team unity—we could definitely win.”
This year will mark the first time that an Amherst volleyball team has reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The team will use its pre-game rituals to maintain their composure and focus. Before every game, Belisle gives the team a pre-game speech in her signature “chi-chi” voice. Her speeches relax the team and remove the tension from the locker room. Belisle is one of the most vocal members on the team and keeps them pumped up and excited through their ups and downs. In order to beat Juniata, the team will have to stay energized for the entire match and never lose focus, two things they proved that they can do this past weekend.