MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- The eighth-seeded Amherst College volleyball team gave top-seed Wesleyan University a tough fight Sunday, but ultimately it would be the Cardinals winning the NESCAC Tournament quarterfinal in three sets to move on via a 25-23, 25-12, 25-18 sweep of the Mammoths.
Amherst fell to 8-12 on the season. Wesleyan improved to 20-1 overall.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
* Amherst came out strong in the opening set and had early leads of 6-4, 8-5 and 9-6. Back-to-back kills from
Anaya Thomas and
Charlotte Rasmussen gave Amherst its 6-4 advantage. After Wesleyan rallied to tie the set at 9-all, kills from Rasmussen,
Chloe Chanren and
Chideraa Ngwadom helped the Mammoths maintain a one-point lead. It was 15-all when a kill from Thomas off an assist from
Carly Cooper regained the lead for Amherst. Down 18-17, another kill from Chanren off a Cooper assists tied the match, but the Cardinal responded with four consecutive points to take a 22-18 lead.
* Kills by
Kinsey Cronin and Ngwadom brought the Mammoths back within two at 23-21. Down 24-21, Thomas came up with another kill off a
Lizzie Papalia assist, and Papalia followed that with a service ace to make it 24-23, but a big-time block by the Cardinals fell for the winning point to end the set, 25-23, Wesleyan.
* Wesleyan used the momentum from that exciting win to build early 7-1 and 14-4 leads in the second set and cruise to a 25-12 victory. Rasmussen had five kills in that set for Amherst.
* The Cardinals built 12-4 and 21-10 leads in the third set, but the Mammoths would storm back to make it interesting. A big block from Ngwadom and Cronin ignited a 7-2 Mammoth run. Ngwadom and Cooper mixed in kills to make it 21-14. Later Thomas came up with a big kill and Cooper and Chanren team up for a block kill that cut the Wesleyan lead to 23-17. Down 24-17, Rasmussen came up with a kill off an assist from
Katelyn Hamasaki, but the Cardinals closed out the set and match on the next service.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Rasmussen led the team with 12 kills, Thomas notched 7 and Ngwadom 7. Cronin pitched in 6.
* Cooper had 29 assists and 8 digs. Papalia led the team with 23 digs.
