Until then, everything was unfolding exactly as scripted. Amherst, amidst doubts of its abilities following a 2-3 end to the regular season, began the NESCAC Tournament on point, defeating Connecticut College, 3-2. The game started off on a bit of a sour note, with the Firedogs dropping the first set, 25-18. After that, however, the team got things together and went on to win the next two sets, 25-14 and 25-17, with stellar play in the frontcourt from senior Claire Holton-Basaldua, who finished with an impressive stat line of 21 kills and only two errors. After a slight hiccup in the fourth set, Amherst finished the game strong to take 15-11 win in the fifth and decisive set. A key factor in the win was some timely defense from sophomore Jackie Berkley, who finished the match with five blocks.
The win set up a game against what was perhaps Amherst’s toughest opponent in recent NESCAC memory — the Wesleyan University Cardinals. Amherst has traditionally had extremely close, exciting games against Wesleyan, though it has come out on the wrong side of the scoreboard twice this year. As Saturday showed, however, the third time was the charm; Amherst wound up victorious after a 3-2 defeat of Wesleyan.
“It was one of the best wins we’ve had this season,” said Berkley. “We’ve had some trouble against Wesleyan this year, so it was good to finally beat them.” The game started in typical Amherst-Wesleyan fashion, a 25-23 nail-biter that went the Firedogs’ way, giving Amherst an early one-set lead. The Jeffs let up a bit in the second set, and Wesleyan capitalized, taking the second set decisively, 25-15.
But the Jeffs gathered their resolve in the final two sets and dashed any hopes Wesleyan had of advancing in the tournament, taking the last two sets, 25-19 and 25-21, to win the match. Saturday was a day for the formerly injured to shine, as previously-hobbling team members Sara Heller ’09 and Christy Meier ’12 turned in outstanding performances. Heller was everywhere, digging 23 balls and setting 36. The majority of those sets went to Meier, who ended the night with 15 kills. After contributing at the net Friday, Berkley decided to attack from behind the service line, notching three service aces. While the win was crucial in its own right, it more importantly set up the game Amherst had been hoping for all year long: a NESCAC championship against archrival Williams College.
It’s often said that there are few things harder than beating an opponent three times in a row; this weekend didn’t prove otherwise. In their third matchup against the Jeffs this season, Williams finally got the best of Amherst, taking its second consecutive NESCAC championship.
“It definitely hurts,” said Berkley, “but we didn’t play terribly. Obviously, we could have played a lot better, but it’s not like we rolled over or anything.”
The first game was a closely contested match that ended up going to the Ephs, 25-18. Amherst rebounded quickly and took the second set, 25-20, to even the score at one set apiece. Their celebration was short-lived, however, as Williams came back and took the next two sets to end both the game and Amherst’s hopes of a NESCAC title for the second year in a row.
Though it may have ended with a defeat, Amherst’s season was undoubtedly a success overall. Besides finishing second in a highly-competitive NESCAC Tournament — third in the regular season — Amherst ended the season 22-8, which, while not matching last year’s win total, is still one of the better records in team history. And while the contributions of this year’s seniors (Alison Munzer, Hannah Wirth, Sara Heller and Claire Holton-Basaldua) will be sorely missed, there is a wealth of talent returning to the Firedogs in 2009. Going into next year, the purple and black will once again look to contend in the NESCAC and build on the program’s recent success.