MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Senior
Caroline Tilton tied her career-high with 23 kills Saturday, but the No. 4 seeded Amherst College volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker to top-seeded Wesleyan in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament, 28-26, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 12-15.
The loss dropped the Mammoths to 14-7 overall. The Cardinals (23-2) will face No.2 seeded Tufts in the championship match Sunday.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
* The Mammoths opened with an exhilarating 28-26 first-set victory after they had dropped the regular-season match to the Cardinals, 3-0. The set was tied at 11 when the Mammoths reeled off four consecutive points, three with
Carly Cooper on service, to build a 14-11 lead.
Chloe Chanren teamed up with
Anaya Thomas for a block kill and a 12-11 lead, and Tilton followed with a kill. A kill by Thomas off a Cooper assist made it 16-12, but the Cardinal scored five straight points to regain the lead. However, three straight kills from Tilton,
Lizzie Papalia and
Sam Underwood made gave the Mammoths a 19-17 lead. A kill and an ace from Underwood help the Mammoths build a 22-19 lead. Wesleyan rallied again to tie the match at 22, The Mammoths had 24-23 and 25-24 leads and serves to end the set, but Wesleyan rallied to take a 26-25 advantage. After a service error by Wesleyan tied the match, back-to-back assisted blocks on which Tilton and
Kinsey Cronin joined forces, the Mammoths finally walked away with a 28-26 win.
* Wesleyan would take the next two sets 25-18 and 25-19 to put itself on the verge of a win, but, The Mammoths showed their mettle in a class fourth set. The Cardinals led 11-7 and 15-12 before a three-point Mammoths run made it 15-all. Trailing 16-15, Amherst reeled off four critical points to take a 20-17 lead. Senior
Lani Uyeno had two key service aces wrapped around kills from classmates Underwood and Tilton. A service ace and two kills from Tilton made it 23-19 Mammoths. After a Cardinal point, a service ace and kill from Underwood tied the match, 2-2, via the 25-20 victory.
* In the winner-take-all fifth set, kills by Underwood, Cooper, Tilton, Cronin, and Thomas plus a block kill from
Charlotte Rasmussen and Tilton had the Mammoths in the game but trailing 7-6. Down 9-6, a Tilton kill and an Uyeno ace cut the deficit to 9-8, but Wesleyan earned the next five points for a 14-8 lead. Needing just a point to win, the Cardinals watched as the Mammoths fought back with four points of their own to get back into the set at 14-12. Rasmussen and Tilton had kills to make it 14-10 and once again Cronin and Tilton teamed up for consecutive assisted blocks that brought Amherst within two. However, Wesleyan's Kathryn Morgan and Kate Long came up with their own block to end the set and the match.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Cooper had 46 assists and 26 digs, both team highs, in the match. Underwood finished with 8 kills, 11 digs, and 2 aces. Tilton had 9 blocks and 10 digs to go with her 23 kills. Papalia notched 18 digs, 2 aces, and 2 assists. Cronin registered 13 kills, 6 blocks, and 5 digs. Rasmussen had 9 kills and 4 blocks. Uyeno notched 7 digs, 3 aces, and 2 assists. Thomas had 7 kills and 2 blocks.
