As the NESCAC volleyball race begins to take shape, Amherst remains right in the thick of things, largely thanks to a 4-0 record over the past week. With the four wins, Amherst remains within striking distance of first place, which is currently held by 7-0 Tufts Univerity. The Jumbos took over sole possession of the lead when they beat the Firedogs on Oct. 11.
The women began the week’s action on the road, as they loaded into the bus Wednesday night for the short drive to Westfield State. The Firedogs made it clear early on that they didn’t want to give Westfield any glimmer of hope, dominating in the first set and cruising to a 25-14 rout. It was just the beginning of what would be a long night for the Owls. Amherst outperformed Westfield State in every facet of the game, and went on to win the next two sets 25-16 and 25-14, respectively, hardly breaking a sweat in the process. Sophomore Kate Jordan turned in an exceptional performance, amassing 22 sets, many of which went to first-year Cristy Meier. Meier was on point all night and finished with 16 kills. At times, Amherst didn’t even have to play defense—sophomores Erin Camp and Rachel Yorke nailed two service aces apiece.
After the road win, Amherst returned to campus for the weekend’s set of games, which began when Amherst faced off against the Panthers of Middlebury in a NESCAC match on Friday night. LeFrak, however, wasn’t its usual sea of purple and black for the game. Instead, it played host to fans and players donning…pink? Yes, Wednesday was “think pink” night for the Firedogs, in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer. But while raising awareness was on everyone’s mind, there was still volleyball to be played, and “think pink” seemed to have the Firedogs thinking “win,” as well.
“I think ‘think pink’ gave our team a little something extra. There was a different sort of atmosphere in the gym that night,” said sophomore Erin Camp. Amherst fed off of its environment well, and if you had changed the Panther’s blue to red, you would have sworn you were watching a replay of the Westfield game. Amherst was just as dominant on Friday as it was on the road Wednesday, and the result didn’t change either. The Firedogs wiped the court with the Panthers, winning in straight sets for their second straight sweep of an opponent. “We were very ‘on’,” said Camp. “The team was cohesive out there … we communicated well and it just clicked. What can I say? It was a good night.”
One good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast later, Amherst found itself back on the court for a match against the Hamilton College Camels, another NESCAC foe. Hamilton isn’t traditionally one of the stronger teams in the league, but that didn’t mean the Firedogs were going to change their mindset one iota. “When you face weaker competition, you tend to not always bring your best game,” noted Camp. “But we didn’t want to drop down to their level of play—the game was still important and still counted in the NESCAC standings.” Apparently, the mindset worked, as Amherst won its third consecutive game in straight sets, sweeping the Camels by scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-17. The tandem of Meier-Jordan was again key for the purple and black, with Jordan dishing out 31 assists and Meier spiking home 14 kills. The team also benefited from a strong performance from Bethany Belisle, who was all over the floor, en route to a 10-dig day. “Overall, it was a good win,” summarized Camp. “We knew we had to get the job done and we did—I’m proud of our team.”
The Firedogs dominated again Tuesday night in a 3-1 win against Williams College. Williams started slow and allowed Amherst to take the opening set in a 25-16 win.
The second set was much of the same. Strong play by both rookies and veterans allowed the Amherst to take a two set lead with a 25-20 win. However, Williams rallied to take the third set, 20-25, pushing the match to a decisive fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Firedogs returned to their earlier top form. Williams made a late run, but Amherst finished with a 25-18 win on a massive kill down the left sideline by first-year outside hitter Katherine Kanoff.
The team hopes to defeat Williams again when the archrivals meet Friday.