AMHERST, Mass – After taking the opening set of the 2025 season Tuesday night in LeFrak Gymnasium, the Amherst College volleyball team fell in three straight hard-fought sets to visiting WPI (25-19, 20-25, 22-25, 23-25).

Next up for the Mammoths (0-1) will be a 7 p.m. match Friday with Mount Holyoke, as part of the Amherst College Fall Smash Tournament. There will be six matches for the Fall Smash, two on Friday (Western New England plays Oswego State at 5 p.m.) and four on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. with Oswego State and St. Joseph's of Maine. 

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

* The Mammoths set the tone of the match, coming out with a commanding 7-2 lead to start the set. Consecutive service aces from Charlotte Rasmussen and kills from first-year Addison Lau and sophomore Sofia Camilo gave Amherst the lead. The Mammoths and the Engineers traded points through the middle of the set, but Amherst stayed strong with 5 different players registering kills throughout the set. Another service ace from Rasmussen helped end the set, 25-19.

* The second set was evenly matched, with Chideraa Ngwadom notching 3 consecutive service aces to tie the set 8-8. Rasmussen helped the Mammoths with 5 kills through the set, but the Engineers pushed ahead, winning the set (25-20) off a kill by Amelia Lynch.

* The Mammoths fought hard again in set 3, keeping the score even at 7-7. The Mammoths earned three straight points thanks to kills from Camilo to take the lead 12-8. Two more kills from Camilo and a kill from Ellie Meyers furthered the Mammoth's lead, making it 17-12, but the Engineers scored the next 9 of 10 points, and the Mammoths could not hold on. The Engineers took the set, 25-22.

* In the final set, WPI jumped ahead, taking an 11-6 lead. Kills from Rasmussen, Lau, and Camilo, and a service ace from first-year Judith Subirats-Bosch brought the Mammoths ahead, 14-13. The two teams traded points, but the Engineers took the match, winning the fourth set 25-23.

BY THE NUMBERS

* In Tuesday night's loss to the Engineers, first-year Addison Lau led the Mammoths with 15 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Sofia Camilo notched 14 kills while senior Charlotte Rasmussen registered 11. 

* Judith Subirats-Bosch led the team with 26 assists, while Audrey Krichev notched 15 in the defeat. 

* Tiana Richardson had three blocks, one solo, while Rasmussen notched two.