The volleyball team’s season ended at Bowdoin on Friday night when the fifth-seeded Firedogs fell to No. 4 Trinity 3-1 in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
In the regular-season matchup of these two teams, Trinity blanked Amherst 3-0, so this weekend’s 3-1 loss was an improvement for the Firedogs.
The team suffered a big setback in having to play without setter Callie Neilson ’13, who was hurt with a concussion during practice last week.
“I think the team did a great job this weekend of coming together and playing hard despite the loss of our setter. Everyone was disappointed with the outcome but we played hard until the last point,” said KC Kanoff ’12.
The Bantams took the first match 25-19. The Firedogs came back to win a tough second set 25-23, holding Trinity to a .137 hitting percentage after its .182 first set.
The Bantams rallied, however, hitting at .444 in the third set, and dominating the match 25-14. Their defense was strong and limited the Firedogs to a .074 attack rate. Trinity closed out the match with another decisive 25-19 victory.
Trinity went on to lose to Bowdoin in the semifinals, and the Polar Bears defeated Middlebury 3-0 in the finals, earning Bowdoin its first NESCAC championship.
Amherst’s key players continued the strong play that they have exhibited throughout their season, although it wasn’t enough to take down the Bantams. Cristy Meier ’12 and Kanoff tallied 16 and 12 kills, respectively. Kanoff also contributed 14 digs, while Kristin Keeno ’13 added 16 digs and 33 assists. Sophomore Devin Pence racked up a match-high 28 digs, and first-year Kellyn Conant tallied 10.
The Firedogs finished the season 20-7 overall. This marks the first year since 2005 that they have not made it to the NESCAC semifinals.
“Overall, I feel like we could have gone further if we hadn’t had to change the line up in the last minute,” said Kanoff. “That being said, I think everyone is really proud of what we accomplished this season and frustrated that we were unable to continue on.”
Amherst’s talented senior tri-captains were big contributors this season. Meier recorded 1,352 career kills. She averaged 3.33 spikes per game for a .280 attack rate.
Kanoff is one of only a few Firedogs to have recorded over 1,000 kills and digs, with 1,096 kills and 1,095 digs over her four years at Amherst.
Along with Mary Reiser ’12, the senior class posted an 87-27 record. They played in the NESCAC semifinals on three occasions and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament last season.
