The Amherst volleyball team returned to action this week, competing in four exciting matches. In a midweek contest, the purple and white took on Colby-Sawyer in LeFrak Gymnasium. Amherst trounced the Chargers in three sets (25-14, 25-10, 25-18).
Maggie Danner ’17 continued her dominance on the court with a 16-kill effort. Danner, and Annika Reczek ’18 had a block apiece. Kate Bres ’17 also contributed significantly on the offensive end with a total of 28 assists on the day.
First-year libero Candace Chung led the purple and white with 11 digs, while Kelci Keeno ’17 and Hayes Honea ’19 tacked on another eight and six digs respectively. Keeno had four service aces in the winning effort.
On Friday, Sept. 23, the Amherst women returned to LeFrak to take on NESCAC rival Williams in front of over 300 energetic fans. In a thrilling five-set match, the purple and white managed to down the Ephs and improve to 2-1 in the conference.
Danner was once again an offensive leader in the 3-2 (18-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-10, 15-10) victory. Danner’s 17 kills and Honea’s 29 digs were crucial in the tightly contested match-up. Reczek played a major role in the hard fought, back-and-forth win, proving to be a force at the net with nine blocks. Bres, with help from Charlotte Duran ’20, kept the offense on track with 23 and 24 assists respectively. Bres also tacked on a pair of service aces.
To close out the weekend, the purple and white traveled to Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts for a tri-match against Babson College and host Clark.
Amherst faced Babson first and took the win in five sets after overcoming a 2-1 deficit. Danner, relentless as ever, posted a team-high 19 kills. She contributed three blocks as well with Lauren Reppert ’19 and Reczek also contributing three of their own. Honea dove for 20 digs with Keeno close behind, tallying 14 digs.
Unfortunately, the purple and white just missed going undefeated for the week after falling 3-2 to Clark. Mia Natsis ’18 had 15 kills in the offensive effort. Reczek had another impressive performance at net, providing 12 blocks. Honea also put on a stellar display with a notable 32 digs. The purple and white’s performance over the past week puts them at 7-3 for the 2016 season.
“Beating Williams this weekend was huge for us,” Danner said. “This win made us very excited for what we could accomplish in the rest of our season. After going to five sets against Williams on Friday, I was incredibly proud of the energy and mental toughness we had against both Babson and Clark.”
The Amherst women are off from action until Friday, Sept. 30, when they will take on NESCAC foe Colby at home. On Saturday, Oct. 1, the purple and white will once again be in LeFrak for another NESCAC contest against Bates.
