AMHERST, MA - Junior Erin Dittus (Brentwood, TN) paced the women's volleyball team with a team-high nine kills as host Amherst College outlasted Westfield State College in LeFrak Gymnasium on Tuesday night. With the 3-0 win (30-7, 30-15, 30-16), Amherst moved to an overall record of 19-3, while maintaining an 8-2 record in conference play. Meanwhile, the Owls dropped to a 9-10 record with the loss.

Amherst boasted a strong offense throughout the hour-long match. Following Dittus' lead, senior co-captains Meredith DeMeules (Los Angeles, CA) and Erica Hewes (Pebble Beach, CA) notched eight and seven kills, respectively, while first-year Annie Hoeksma (Los Angeles, CA) chipped in with five kills of her own on the night. DeMeules and Hoeksma combined for 32 assists on the match. Sophomore Jessica Allen (Chagrin Falls, OH) dominated from behind the service line, floating in seven service aces. On defense, Allen also notched five digs, to compete with first-year Nicole Davidson's (Los Angeles, CA) five and junior Paula Yanes' (Tampa, FL) team-high six. As a team, Amherst tipped back seven blocks on the night.

For Westfield State, senior Katie Simlick (Enfield, CT) set the standard with a team-high 10 kills. Senior Sarah Cormier (Lowell, MA) helped out with nine assists on the night, and sophomore Rachel Allgaier (Meriden, CT) chipped in two service aces. Defensively, Simlick led the way again, matching sophomore Leah Schmidt (West Springfield, MA) with seven digs.

Amherst will take to the court again on Friday night at 6:00, when they will open up the Hall of Fame Tournament with a tilt against Brandeis University in LeFrak. Following the Brandeis scuffle, the squad will take on perennial powerhouse Wellesley College in a scheduled 8:00 match.