It was another 1-1 Saturday for the Lady Jeffs, but, as was the case last weekend, the win came when it counted most. This time, the Jeffs defeated NESCAC rival Hamilton in impressive fashion before falling to a talented New Paltz squad.
The victory pulled the Jeffs back up to an even 2-2 in conference play.
On the road in Clinton, N.Y., the Lady Jeffs took on the Continentals, who came into the match at 6-7, in the first of two contests on Saturday, Sept. 29.
The Amherst squad responded by recording a clean sweep, giving a glimpse of its ability to play to its full potential. The Jeffs had to work relatively hard throughout the match — they won the first set 25-23 and the final set by a similarly small margin, 25-22 — but their dominance shone through in the second set, which they took in overwhelming fashion, 25-16.
Emily Waterhouse ’13 was the player of the game in every respect, registering 15 digs to go along with a match-high 11 kills.
First-years Nicole Carter and Katie Warshaw continued their outstanding play, with Carter tallying a match-high 26 assists and Warshaw contributing 15 digs of her own. Abigail Hunter ’13 also turned a strong effort, pacing the Jeffs with a .292 attack rate.
Despite her team’s loss, Hamilton’s Anna Brown was an offensive threat, finishing with 26 assists.
The victory put the Jeffs in a good position to post a two-for-two weekend, but, once again, the Amherst team ran into a tough opponent that simply overwhelmed it. The New Paltz, N.Y. Hawks entered the match at 15-3, and the Jeffs quickly learned that their record was indeed reflective of their prowess.
To its credit, the visiting team kept the match close, even avoiding a sweep by winning the fourth set, 25-23. Still, even Carter’s stellar performance (36 assists and 16 digs) wasn’t enough to propel the Jeffs, who ultimately fell, 3-1.
For New Paltz, Marissa King totaled an astounding 47 assists (no other Hawk had more than one), while three different players, including King, each had at least 24 digs. Later that same day, the Hawks would also go on to sweep the crosstown Continentals, pushing their winning streak to six.
Fighting to stay in the hunt with two conference losses already under their belts, the Lady Jeffs will need to bring their A-game this weekend when they take on both Wesleyan and Conn. College over fall break.
The Cardinals enter the week at just 4-8, so the first game (Friday, Oct. 5) should be winnable. Conn. College is a different story: so far, they are a formidable 11-2, most notably having ended Bowdoin’s 40-match home winning streak with a 3-0 victory. It is not beyond the Jeffs to go 2-0, but they will certainly have to earn their keep if they intend to pull off the upset.
