AMHERST, Mass. – First-years took center stage in their collegiate debuts as the Amherst College volleyball team opened the 2022 season with a straight-set win over Westfield State on Wednesday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The Mammoths won their opener for the fourth straight season with a 25-10, 25-18, 25-17 victory that dropped the Owls to 1-3. Amherst is back in action this weekend at the NYU Invitational in New York, opening with a match against DeSales on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

SET NOTES:

* First-year Alexandra Trofort recorded an ace on her first collegiate serve and tallied seven kills on eight attacks in the first set as the Mammoths opened with a 25-10 win in the first set. Junior Chloe Chanren and senior Sam Underwood combined on Amherst's first block of the match to clinch the set and cap a 10-2 run to close the first set.

* Senior Jacqueline Kortekaas served the Mammoths to a 3-0 lead to open the second set and Amherst never trailed in the set. First-year Charlotte Rasmussen recorded the final two points of the set with her fourth kill of the set and an ace to wrap up a 25-18 set.

* The Mammoths won five straight points on Trofort's serves on two occasions in the third set. Sophomore Anaya Thomas tallied six kills in the third and first-year Kaili Maurice ended the match with a kill to cap a 25-17 final set.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Rasmussen finished the match with six kills, three aces and a block in her collegiate debut.

* Trofort and Thomas led the Amherst attack with eight kills each.

* A different Mammoth took a turn as the primary setter in each set as junior Carly Cooper tallied seven assists in the first set, Kortekaas led the way with nine assists in the second and first-year Renee Liou had eight assists in the third.

* Junior libero Katelyn Hamasaki recorded 11 digs in the match.

* Sophomore Sarah Bingham paced the Owls with three blocks and two kills.