AMHERST, MA -The Amherst College volleyball team, fresh off 3-0 shutout wins over conference rivals Tufts University and Hamilton College Friday night, continued hosting action in this weekend's NESCAC Quad in LeFrak Gymnasium. Amherst suffered through a disorienting 3-0 (18-30, 23-30, 24-30) loss to Williams College in the morning, but rebounded with a 3-0 win over Middlebury College (30-22, 30-18, 30-25).

Against Williams, Amherst couldn't seem to knock the ball between the lines, as the Ephs slammed 53 team kills versus 27 for Amherst. For the Jeffs, junior Erin Dittus (Brentwood, TN), senior co-captain Erica Hewes (Pebble Beach, CA), and first-year Annie Hoeksma (Los Angeles, CA) each put down six kills, while senior co-captain Meredith DeMeules (Los Angeles, CA) chipped in with five of her own. Setters DeMeules and Hoeksma led the team in assists, with 11 and nine, respectively. Hoeksma also contributed via her serve, with three service aces on the match. Junior Missy Mordy (Issaquah, WA) headed up the Amherst defensive effort, making herself the only Amherst player to post double-digits in digs with 12.

For Williams, Joyia Chadwick recorded 19 kills, while Meg Demment had 39 assists. Demment, Robin Young and Diane Williams were the defensive keys, with 17, 12 and 15 digs respectively.

The Amherst raised its level of play against Middlebury. Dittus, Hewes and Hoeksma carried the offense again, posting 10, 17 and 11 kills respectively. DeMeules tallied four kills, while sophomore Lauren Wong (San Francisco, CA) burst out with seven of her own. DeMeules and Hoeksma combined for 39 assists as the Jeffs finished with 41 overall. In the back row, junior Irene Lee (Fullerton, CA) set the standard with 16 digs, while several other Jeffs posted defensive stats in double digits. On the serve, DeMeules offered up four aces.

For the Panthers, Rachael Faraone posted 14 kills, Katie Henney coordinated the offense with 30 assists, and Luz Brito added 20 digs to lead the defense.

In other action on the day, Middlebury pulled out a squeaker against Hamilton, 3-1 (30-28, 31-33, 30-28, 30-19). Meanwhile, Williams couldn't keep up the momentum of its morning win, falling to Tufts in a five-game marathon, 3-2 (22-30, 30-24, 30-20, 26-30, 11-15). To end the season-opening NESCAC Quad, Tufts beat Hamilton in the afternoon's late match, 3-0 (30-14, 30-28, 33-31).

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001 * NESCAC Quad at Amherst College
Williams d. Amherst, 3-0 (30-18, 30-23, 30-24)
Middlebury d. Hamilton, 3-1 (30-28, 31-33, 30-28, 30-19)
Amherst d. Middlebury, 3-0 (30-22, 30-18, 30-25)
Tufts d. Williams, 3-2 (22-30, 30-24, 30-20, 26-30, 11-15)
Tufts d. Hamilton, 3-0 (30-14, 30-28, 33-31)