MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Seniors
Sam Underwood and
Caroline Tilton had 11 kills each Friday night as the Amherst College volleyball team swept away defending champion Bowdoin in a NESCAC Tournament quarterfinal held at Wesleyan University's Silloway Gymnasium.
The Mammoths advanced to the conference tournament semifinals for the eighth time in the last nine years while improving to 14-6 on the season. They will face host and top-seeded Wesleyan in a semifinal Saturday at 1 p.m.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
* The Mammoths found themselves down 3-0 and 10-7 in the first set but pulled away for the victory.
Chloe Chanren gave Amherst a 14-13 lead with a big block, which was followed by a kill from Underwood and another by Chanren for a three-point lead. The Mammoths led 18-16 when
Kinsey Cronin came through with a big kill and an attack error made it 20-16. A service ace from Underwood made it 21-16. After a Bowdoin timeout, junior setter
Carly Cooper set up
Anaya Thomas for a big kill and a 22-16 advantage. A service ace from
Katelyn Hamasaki closed out the win for the Mammoths.
* A 7-4 run in the middle of the second set gave the Mammoths a little separation and a 15-12 lead. Thomas and Underwood had two kills each. The two squads traded points until the Mammoths held onto a slim 17-16 edge. An attack error and a Cronin service ace made it 19-16. Two kills by Tilton and one from Underwood allowed Amherst to maintain a three-point lead, 23-20. But the Polar Bears would score three straight points to tie the match at 23. Two Bowdoin attack errors allowed the Mammoths to escape with the 25-23 win.
* Amherst led the third set 11-9 when a four-point run gave it a six-point lead. Tilton had two kills in that stretch and Cooper threw in a service ace. Bowdoin rallied to score six straight points to knot things at 15. The Mammoths responded with a four-point run to take a 19-15 lead. A big block made it 16-15 Mammoths and kills by Underwood and Tilton made it 19-15. Up two, kills by Chanren and Underwood off assists from
Lizzie Papalia made it 21-17. Cronin took over from there with some mighty big swings that resulted in three kills to help close out the match.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Cronin finish with 9 kills and hit .500 for the match. Thomas had 7 kills. Cooper had 25 assists and 11 digs. Papalia led Amherst with 18 digs and added 3 assists.
