AMHERST, Mass. -- Caroline Tilton had 18 kills, Sam Underwood added 15 more and Kinsey Cronin registered 12 Friday night, but the Amherst College volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to NESCAC rival Williams 25-14, 25-20, 21-25, 34-36 and 9-15 in LeFrak Gymnasium.

Amherst fell to 4-3 with the loss, 2-1 in the NESCAC while Williams improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Amherst is home again Saturday when it hosts Gordon College at 1 p.m. and Rivier College at 5 p.m.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

* After Williams overcame an early 6-2 deficit to take an 11-10 lead in the first set, the Mammoths responded with six consecutive points to turn a 14-12 lead into an eight-point advantage at 20-12. Lizzie Papalia served five straight points in the run, including two service aces to extend the Amherst lead to 20-12. Jacqueline Kortekaas then served out the final four points of the match, registering one service ace, while a kill from Chloe Chanren ended the set. 

* Set 2 was back-and-forth early on but another five-point run gave the Mammoths the separation they need to pull away for the 25-20 victory. Paplia served four straight points in the five-point run. Two kills from Underwood and one from Chanren helped the hosts build that 17-12 advantage. A block by Cronin and Tilton ended the set in favor of the Mammoths, 25-20. 

* Williams fought back in the third set with a 25-21 victory, and evened the match in an epic set four that saw the Ephs outlast the Mammoths, 36-34. The set featured 15 ties and eight lead changes. Amherst served seven times with a chance to win the set, and match. Amherst led 17-13 and 24-21 but the Ephs scored four straight points to take a 25-24 lead. After a service error, a Cronin-Tilton block made it 26-25. The two teams would exchange points for eight straight services before Williams would win two in a row and take a 31-30 lead. A Cronin kill tied the match back up. The Mammoths final lead was 34-33, but the Ephs scored the final three points to even the match at 2-2.

* In the winner-take-all fifth set, Amherst built an early 7-3 lead, only to see Williams win 12 of the final 14 points to take the win. 

BY THE NUMBERS: 

* Celia Adams led Williams with a match-high 21 kills and Marit Hoyem notched 18. Lauren Kauppila had 37 assists.

* Cronin had eight blocks and Tilton seven for the Mammoths. Carly Cooper finished with 34 assists and Papalia led the Mammoths with 41 digs.