AMHERST, Mass. -- The Amherst College volleyball team produced a statement win to close out its regular season, defeating archrival Williams College in four sets (24-26, 25-20, 25-12, 26-24) on Saturday at LeFrak Gymnasium. It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the match: Williams had more blocks, aces and only one fewer kill; but the difference in the scoresheet was the Ephs' 29 errors. The win gave Amherst (15-4, 6-4) a crucial victory in the NESCAC standings after a loss to Hamilton the previous night. The victory moved the Mammoths into a tie with Williams (13-6, 6-4) for fifth place in the NESCAC but the Amherst victory in this match provides the head-to-head tiebreaker that gives the Mammoths the fifth seed in the upcoming NESCAC Championship.
Amherst jumped out to a quick 10-7 lead in the first set, due in large part to efforts of outside hitter Jamie Dailey '22 and middle hitter Sophie Launsbach '22, each with two kills in the opening run. Williams quickly countered, going on a five-point run to take a 12-10 lead and forcing Amherst to take the first timeout of the game. The Mammoths responded well to the timeout, going on their own four-point run to take a 14-12 lead—a lead that was held until the waning moments of the first set. After a string of unforced errors by the Williams front line, Amherst took a commanding 24-19 lead. The Williams team showed grit, though, and in a shocking turn of events, orchestrated a seven-point run to win the set 26-24, led by stellar blocking that got the Amherst hitters uncomfortable for the first time all game.
Williams continued the momentum created from the five-point comeback in the second set with several great defensive plays; however, like the first set, the second turned into a back-and-forth affair with no team gaining a lead of more than two points until Amherst took a 22-19 lead late in the set. After Williams clawed back a point to make it 22-20, several great defensive plays by libero Lizzie Papalia '25, including a 3 pass and a diving save, powered the Mammoths to a 25-20 second-set win.
After a dominant third-set performance, one in which the Mammoth hitters hit 0.37 with 12 kills, the game reverted back to the back-and-forth affair it had been. Junior setter Jacqueline Kortekaas entered the game and immediately got the Mammoths out of serve receive with a beautifully executed X play with Launsbach. Untimely errors kept Amherst in fourth set as Williams had 9 errors to Amherst's 3, but the Williams players managed to pull away towards the end of the set and gain a 21-17 advantage. This lead disappeared, though, due in large part to strong serving from Kortekaas and multiple kills from junior Sami Underwood. The Mammoths eventually tied the game at 23 and took the game with a 26-24 set victory, turning the tables after Williams came from behind in the first set.
The win powered Amherst to the fifth spot in the NESCAC regular season standings, and a place in the NESCAC Championship, which takes place Friday through Sunday in Brunswick, Maine, at top-seeded Bowdoin College. Amherst will face fourth-seeded Middlebury at 7:30 pm on Friday night in a rematch of the five-set thriller the two teams had played earlier in the season.
