NORTHAMPTON, MA - The Amherst College volleyball team played a pair of matches this afternoon to wrap up play at the 2009 Volleyball Hall of Fame Tournament with a 3rd place finish. After starting the day with a 3-0 loss to Williams College (25-19, 25-16, 25-10), Amherst rallied to beat M.I.T. (20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-16, 15-9) in the third place match.
Against Williams, Amherst struggled to find the stride that helped them upset Springfield College in their opening match last night. Leading the Lord Jeffs in the loss was Katherine Kanoff (Pacific Palisades, CA) with 10 kills. Cristy Meier (San Anselmo, CA), Jackie Berkley (Fullerton, CA) and Laura Hyman (Glencoe, IL) combined for an additional 18 kills, while Katherine Jordan (Los Altos Hills, CA) dished out 22 assists.
In the third place match, the Jeffs returned to form to come from a 2-1 deficit against the Engineers. Leading Amherst to the victory was Meier with 18 kills, Kanoff with 10 kills and five aces, and Hyman added nine kills and four blocks. Jordan added 39 assists in the win, while junior tri-captain Rachel Yorke (Los Angeles, CA) had 25 digs. Erin Camp (Santa Monica, CA) had five aces in the win, while Berkley had three kills, three aces and two blocks to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
2009 Volleyball Hall of Fame Women's Invitational
Gold Bracket (at Smith College)
Day 1 Schedule (Friday, October 23)
Match 1: #1 Tufts University def. #8 Smith College, 3-1 (25-11, 17-25, 26-24, 25-12)
Match 2: #2 Williams College def. #7 Wellesley College, 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-22)
Match 3: #4 MIT def. #5 Brandeis University, 3-2 (21-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-21, 15-9)
Match 4: #6 Amherst College def. #3 Springfield College, 3-2 (11-25, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11)
Day 2 Schedule (Saturday, October 24)
Match 5: Brandeis University def. Smith College, 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-20)
Match 6: Wellesley College def. Springfield College, 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20)
Match 7: Tufts University def. MIT, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-23
Match 8: Williams College def. Amherst College, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-10)
Match 9: Wellesley College def. Brandeis University, 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-23)
Match 10: Springfield College def. Smith College, 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-17, 25-15)
Championship Match: Tufts def. Williams, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20)
Third Place Match: Amherst def. MIT, 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-16, 15-9)
All-Tournament Team (Gold Bracket)
1. Dena Feiger (Tufts) Tournament MVP
2. Jackie Berkley (Amherst)
3. Abby Blasco (Brandeis)
4. Alex May (MIT)
5. Laurel Belton (Smith)
6. Heather Lively (Springfield)
7. Allie Cummings (Wellesley)
8. Kate Anderson (Williams)
