The Amherst College volleyball team has earned the fifth seed in the NESCAC Championship and the team starts its tournament journey with an exciting quarterfinal matchup against Middlebury College on Friday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m.
 
The 2021 NESCAC Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Bowdoin College over the course of this weekend with semifinals matches being played on Saturday followed by the championship match at noon on Sunday.

Fans planning to attend the tournament at Bowdoin should be aware of the Bowdoin Spectator Policy.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All games this weekend will be broadcast live on NSN. Live stats will be available through NESCAC Championship Central.

SCOUTING AMHERST
After a resounding 3-1 win against Williams on October 30, Amherst will be looking to build momentum with help from its star-filled roster. 

• The Mammoths are first in the NESCAC in opponents hitting percentage at .124
• Sophie Launsbach '22 leads the conference in hitting percentage at .458
• Jamie Dailey '22 leads the conference in kills (min 2:00/set) at 3.94 per set
• Dailey is also first in points at 4.54 while Launsbach is in top 10 in the same category
• Carly Cooper '24 is 3rd in assists at 8.44
• Amherst is 3rd in kills and first in opponents blocks
• Amherst is first in digs in the conference with 19.41 per set
• Lizzie Papalia '25 leads Amherst in digs at 236 which is averages 6th best in the conference
• Amherst is also first in opponents aces allowed at 1.11 per set

SCOUTING THE REST OF THE FIELD 
Middlebury is the fourth seed in the conference at 20-4 and 7-3 in NESCAC play. The Panthers beat the Mammoths in a five-set thriller on September 24. Middlebury beat Amherst in a quarterfinal matchup in 2019, the last time this tournament was played. The Panthers are one of the top teams in many statistical categories for NESCAC teams including opponents blocks allowed, hitting percentage, and opponents hitting percentage. Corley Doyle leads the Panthers in hitting percentage (second in conference) at .378. Gabbie O'Toole is second in the NESCAC with 9.48 assists/s. The Panthers will face the Mammoths at 7:30 p.m.
 
Tufts is the third seed in the bracket and will be playing sixth-seeded Williams for a spot in the semifinals. Tufts is 8-2 in NESCAC play and 17-4 overall. The Jumbos are first in hitting percentage, assists, blocks and kills. Cate Desler leads the Jumbos in kills at 266 and owns the second-highest kill percentage in the conference. The Jumbos lost to the Ephs, 3-2, back on October 2.
 
Williams will be entering as the sixth seed in this tournament after coming off a recent loss to the Mammoths, 3-1. The Ephs are 13-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play. They are first in opponent assists and opponent kills and second in the conference in blocks. Christina Conforti leads the Ephs in kills/set at 2.67 while Marit Hoyem leads the Ephs with 169 kills overall.
 
In the third matchup, top-seeded Bowdoin will be facing off against the eighth seed Hamilton. Bowdoin is 19-4 overall and 9-1 in conference. The Polar Bears were first in service aces and top 5 in every other category. Sophia Pahl leads the Polar Bears with 251 kills. The Polar Bears swept the Continentals, 3-0, on October 2.
 
Hamilton comes in as the eighth seed. The Continentals are 3-7 in conference and 7-12 overall. They are top 5 in service aces and led by Kate Carman who is 3rd in the conference in kills with 266.
 
The final matchup features seventh seed Connecticut College and second seed Wesleyan. Wesleyan enters the contest at 15-5 overall and 8-2 in NESCAC play while Connecticut College stands at 3-7 in conference and 9-10 overall. The Cardinals are second in kills and assists and Connecticut College is fifth in opponents blocks. The Cardinals beat the Camels, 3-0, back on September 23.
 
2021 NESCAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
hosted by Bowdoin College
at Morrell Gymnasium • Brunswick, Maine

Friday, November 5 - Quarterfinals
#7 Connecticut College vs. #2 Wesleyan -- 5 p.m.  (court 1)
#8 Hamilton vs. #1 Bowdoin -- 5 p.m.  (court 2)
#6 Williams vs. #3 Tufts -- 7:30 p.m.  (court 1)
#5 Amherst vs. #4 Middlebury -- 7:30 p.m.  (court 2)

Saturday, November 6 - Semifinals
Winner of #1/#8 vs. Winner of #4/#5 – 1:00 p.m.
Winner of #2/#7 vs. Winner of #3/#6 – 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 7
Final -- noon